All Topics  
Laura Spelman Rockefeller

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Laura Spelman Rockefeller
 
 
  Topics Laura Spelman Rockefeller Topic Home

Laura Celestia Spelman Rockefeller, (September 9, 1839–March 12, 1915), (known as "Cettie"), was a philanthropist, the namesake of Spelman College
Spelman College

Spelman College is a four-year Liberal arts colleges in the United States Women's colleges in the United States located in Atlanta, Georgia, Georgia , United States....
 and the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial, and the wife of the founder of both Standard Oil
Standard Oil

Standard Oil was a predominant United States integrated petroleum producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as an Ohio Corporation, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational corporations until it was broken up...
 and the Rockefeller family
Rockefeller family

The Rockefeller family, the renowned Cleveland, Ohio family of John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller , is an United States industry, banking, and political family of German American origin that made the world's largest private fortune in the History of the petroleum industry in North America during the late 19th and early...
 dynasty, John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller

John Davison Rockefeller was an United States industrialist and philanthropist. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy....
.

a Spelman was born in Wadsworth
Wadsworth, Ohio

Wadsworth is a city in Medina County, Ohio, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1814, it was named after General Elijah Wadsworth, a American Revolutionary War hero.....
, Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
 in 1839 to Harvey Buel Spelman and Lucy Henry Spelman, who had moved to Ohio from Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Laura Spelman Rockefeller'
Start a new discussion about 'Laura Spelman Rockefeller'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Laura Celestia Spelman Rockefeller, (September 9, 1839–March 12, 1915), (known as "Cettie"), was a philanthropist, the namesake of Spelman College
Spelman College

Spelman College is a four-year Liberal arts colleges in the United States Women's colleges in the United States located in Atlanta, Georgia, Georgia , United States....
 and the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial, and the wife of the founder of both Standard Oil
Standard Oil

Standard Oil was a predominant United States integrated petroleum producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as an Ohio Corporation, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational corporations until it was broken up...
 and the Rockefeller family
Rockefeller family

The Rockefeller family, the renowned Cleveland, Ohio family of John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller , is an United States industry, banking, and political family of German American origin that made the world's largest private fortune in the History of the petroleum industry in North America during the late 19th and early...
 dynasty, John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller

John Davison Rockefeller was an United States industrialist and philanthropist. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy....
.

Biography

Laura Spelman was born in Wadsworth
Wadsworth, Ohio

Wadsworth is a city in Medina County, Ohio, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1814, it was named after General Elijah Wadsworth, a American Revolutionary War hero.....
, Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
 in 1839 to Harvey Buel Spelman and Lucy Henry Spelman, who had moved to Ohio from Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
. Harvey was an abolition
Abolition

Abolition is the act of formally repealing an existing legal practice, either by making it illegal, or simply no longer allowing it to exist in any form....
ist who was active in the Congregationalist Church
Congregational church

Congregational churches are Protestantism Christianity churches practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each Wiktionary:congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
, the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th century African American Slavery in the United States in the United States to escape to free state and Canada with the aid of Abolitionism who were sympathetic to their cause....
, and in politics. The Spelmans eventually moved to Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, the most populous county in the state. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately 60 miles west of the Pennsylvania border....
. In Cleveland, Cettie met John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller

John Davison Rockefeller was an United States industrialist and philanthropist. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy....
; they attended accounting classes together at school. She later left Ohio to attend boarding school in New England, with plans to become a schoolteacher.

After returning to Ohio to teach, she married Rockefeller in 1864. Following her wedding, Cettie remained active in the church (she joined Rockefeller's congregation, the Northern Baptists) and with her family. Once the family business, Standard Oil, began to take off, she further devoted her time to philanthropy and her children.

Throughout their entire lives, the Rockefeller family continued to donate ten percent of their income to charity, including substantial donations to Spelman College.

Laura Spelman Rockefeller died at age 75 of a heart attack.

Children

  • Elizabeth Rockefeller
    Elizabeth Rockefeller Strong

    Elizabeth "Bessie" Rockefeller Strong was the eldest child of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller and his wife Laura Spelman Rockefeller .Bessie Rockefeller was a special student at Vassar College 1886–1888....
     (1866–1906)
  • Alice Rockefeller (July 14, 1869–August 20, 1870)
  • Alta Rockefeller (1871–1962)
  • Edith Rockefeller
    Edith Rockefeller McCormick

    Edith Rockefeller McCormick was an American socialite and opera patron. McCormick was the fourth daughter of Standard Oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller and his wife Laura Spelman Rockefeller ....
     (1872–1932)
  • John Davidson Rockefeller Jr
    John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

    John Davison Rockefeller, Jr. was a major philanthropist and a pivotal member of the prominent Rockefeller family. He was the sole son and descendant of the billionaire Standard Oil industrialist, John D....
     (1874–1960)


Further reading

  • Chernow, Ron. Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. London: Warner Books, 1998.
  • Stasz, Clarice. The Rockefeller Women: Dynasty of Piety, Privacy, and Service. New York: St. Martins Press. (1995).


See also

  • Rockefeller family
    Rockefeller family

    The Rockefeller family, the renowned Cleveland, Ohio family of John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller , is an United States industry, banking, and political family of German American origin that made the world's largest private fortune in the History of the petroleum industry in North America during the late 19th and early...
  • Rockefeller Foundation
    Rockefeller Foundation

    The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D....
  • Rockefeller University
    Rockefeller University

    The Rockefeller University is a private university which focuses primarily on basic research in the biomedical fields and offers graduate and postgraduate education....
  • Rockefeller Center
    Rockefeller Center

    Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commerce buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue ....
  • Kykuit
    Kykuit

    Kykuit, also known as John D. Rockefeller Estate, is a 40-room National Trust for Historic Preservation house in Westchester County, New York, built by the oil businessman, philanthropist and founder of the prominent Rockefeller family, John D....
  • Jay Rockefeller
    Jay Rockefeller

    John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV , generally known as Jay Rockefeller, has served as a Democratic Party United States Senate from West Virginia since 1985....
  • David Rockefeller
    David Rockefeller

    David Rockefeller Sr. is an United States banker, statesman, globalist, and the current patriarch of the Rockefeller family. He is the youngest and only surviving child of John D....
  • Nelson Rockefeller
    Nelson Rockefeller

    Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States, the 49th governor of New York, a philanthropist, and a businessperson....
  • Laurance Rockefeller
    Laurance Rockefeller

    Laurance Spelman Rockefeller was a venture capitalist, finance, philanthropist, a major conservationist and a prominent third-generation member of the Rockefeller family....
  • Philanthropy
    Philanthropy

    Philanthropy derives from Latin, meaning "to love people". Philanthropy is the act of donation money, goods, services, time and/or effort to support a socially beneficial cause, with a defined objective and with no financial or material reward to the donor....


External links

  • Chernow, Ron. Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. Warner Books. (1998). ISBN 0-679-43808-4.