Rockefeller, Laurance S.

Laurance S. Rockefeller, in full Laurance Spelman Rockefeller, (born May 26, 1910, New York, New York, U.S.—died July 11, 2004, New York), American venture capitalist and philanthropist, third of the five sons of John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

He graduated from Princeton University with a degree in philosophy (1932) but became the most entrepreneurial of all the Rockefeller brothers. He participated in the founding of Eastern Airlines (1938) and, within a few years, held the largest share of the company’s stock (100 percent of its preferred). He was also associated with McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. During World War II he served as a procurement officer in the U.S. Navy. After the war he engaged in a wide range of investments, including resort hotels, transportation, nuclear equipment, communication, and computers through such companies as Rockresorts, Inc., Nuclear Development Corporation of America, and New York Airways, a helicopter commuter line. Rockefeller balanced his business interests with a dedication to environmental causes. In the 1950s he donated 5,000 acres to create the Virgin Islands National Park, and he also led conservation programs such as the Citizens Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality, the American Conservation Association, and the New York Zoological Society.