The Life of Nelson A. Rockefeller: Worlds to Conquer, 1908-1958

by Cary Reich

Of all the great American dynastic families, few could match the combined wealth, power, and influence of the Rockefellers. And of all the Rockefellers, none was more determined to use these advantages than Nelson A. Rockefeller. Nelson was never content to live off the fame and fortune due him as a Rockefeller. His imperious grandfather, John D. Rockefeller, and intimidating father, John Jr., set standards and boundaries that Nelson blithely ignored. He pushed for position within the family, and then broke a family taboo by taking his ambition to the forbidden world of politics. Handsome, ferociously energetic, charming, and ruthless, Rockefeller had a rapacious appetite for life - and for power - that showed itself in the stunning breadth of his activities and in the daring of his ideas. Nelson's sunny, optimistic demeanor masked a Machiavellian mind. At a young age he wrested control of the Rockefeller Center project from his father's minions, turned the Museum of Modern Art into a world-class institution, used a midlevel bureaucratic position during World War II to run the affairs of an entire continent; through pure ego and drive he bent the United Nations conference to his will and redirected the path of history. Nelson A. Rockefeller's fierce drive to achieve would have a profound effect on a city, a state, a nation, and the world. Reich enjoyed unprecedented access to the Rockefeller family archives, scrutinized FBI and FOIA files, and interviewed over three hundred individuals for the book, including many who had never spoken about Rockefeller for the record.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History

896 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1996

Reviews

[Ross Lenhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very complete biography of a very fascinating personality who was involved in every facet of American society. But Reich only takes Nelson Rockefeller's life up until 1959. The upbringing of a boy into "American royalty" was fascinating. "Junior", his father, showed much financial restraint and discipline in the raising of his offspring. My interests in the family was heightened by a recent visit to their magnificent estate, Kykuit, in Pocantico Hills overlooking the Hudson River in New York State. In spite of the fact that this book is over 700 pages long, I couldn't put it down. The Rockefellers are just that interesting. In order to finish the story, I then turned to The Imperial Rockefeller by Joseph E. Persico to finish out the fascinating life of Nelson Rockefeller. But more on that later.

[Deborah Weir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forget "The Art of War;" this is the ultimate book on power.