The Rocky Roll

(3 of 7)

Rockefeller organized his campaign in the same way he initiated million-dollar South American business enterprises. Before he set foot on the vote-pulling circuit, assistants drew up a set of 25 studies of the major problems of New York government, bound them in blue, annotated them for quick reference. He carries 18 of the reports with him, studies them between stops. He has a dozen people who normally work "for the family" following him (their salaries paid until November from his own $20,000 maximum campaign contribution). He is fretful when time is lost, and his relaxation sometimes takes curious channels. One night he flew to the West Coast, spent the next day padding through art museums, flew home next night, arrived at his desk in the morning with the comment: "Gee, that was a good rest."

But humor and enthusiasm, efficiency and drive are inert elements in Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller's chemistry. The catalyst that makes them bubble: an irresistible urge to do big things. Laurance Rockefeller tries to explain it: "Nelson is always working on his environment."

Rabbits & Flies. The environment into which Nelson was born on July 8, 1908 appeared to need no working on. Grandfather John Davison Rockefeller had hammered together the Standard Oil Trust and amassed a billion dollars along the way. Grandfather Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich, at the time senior Senator from Rhode Island, ruled the Senate and bellowed at the White House. The young Rockefellers, obviously, had wealth, power and prestige. But they were allowed to revel in none of the three. Instead, they learned their gentle father's code: "Every right implies a responsibility, every opportunity an obligation, every possession a duty."

Under this goad of a stern Baptist conscience, Nelson Rockefeller listened attentively to Bible readings with his breakfast. In a ledger he entered, as had his father and grandfather, his 25¢ weekly allowance, extra income from raising rabbits or catching flies (at 10¢ a hundred), and the uses he made of the money. Mother Abby Aldrich, less stern of conscience, balanced obligation with games, art and music. When she heard that Columbia University's new progressive Lincoln School mixed students from townhouse and tenement and put a premium on curiosity, she enrolled Nelson and his younger brothers.

Rockefeller graduated from Lincoln with deficiencies in arithmetic and spelling, but with an urge to learn more about people. He decided Princeton, Yale and Harvard were undemocratic, bypassed them to attend smaller Dartmouth. At Hanover he directed a stirring attack on the fraternity system but eventually joined Psi Upsilon, wielded a fire hose and earned a black eye during a battle between his sophomore class and freshmen, ran and lost for president of the junior class. In the Rockefeller tradition he also taught Sunday school, abstained from smoking and the traditional applejack parties in White River Junction and made Phi Beta Kappa as his father had at Brown.