Ancestry of
Nelson Rockefeller
41st U.S. Vice-President
Who was Nelson Rockefeller?
Nelson Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States. However, he was not elected to the position and was only the second person to be appointed as Vice President according to the terms of the 25th Amendment. He replaced Gerald Ford who was the first person to be appointed as Vice President under those same terms. Gerald Ford ascended to the presidency after the Watergate scandal resulted in the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
Nelson Rockefeller also served as the 49th Governor of New York. He was president and chairman of Rockefeller Center, president of the Museum of Modern Art, and founder of the Museum of Primitive Art. His grandfather was John D. Rockefeller, Sr., the founder of the Standard Oil Company.
Famous Kin
In addition to his grandfather John D. Rockefeller, Sr., founder of the Standard Oil Company, Nelson Rockefeller is a descendant of Mayflower passenger William Brewster. His family tree includes numerous connections to royalty including a descent from King Edward I, and to the current royal family through the late Princess Diana.
Nelson Rockefeller has a number of family connections to former U. S. Presidents including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ulysses S. Grant, William H. Harrison, Millard Fillmore, Zachary Taylor, Benjamin Harrison, Warren G. Harding, Grover Cleveland, William H. Taft, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and both Presidents Bush. His fellow vice presidential kin include Levi Morton, Schuyler Colfax, Henry Wallace, James Sherman, Charles Dawes, and Dick Cheney.
Nelson Rockefeller’s celebrity kin include actress Katharine Hepburn, Sports Illustrated swim suit cover model Kate Upton, actor Humphrey Bogart, TV personality and chef Julia Child, actress Paget Brewster, commentator Lowell Thomas, NBA All-Star Kevin Love, and many others.
Some of the most recently added connections of famous kin for Nelson Rockefeller
Sidney Dillon Ripley
Secy. of the Smithsonian, WWII Spy
9th cousin 2 times removed
via William Chaplin
Dr. Vannevar Bush
President, Carnegie Institution of Science
9th cousin 1 time removed
via William Brewster
George Plimpton
Sports writer, Humorist, and Journalist
20th cousin 1 time removed
via William de Beauchamp
George Plimpton
Sports writer, Humorist, and Journalist
17th cousin 2 times removed
via Richard Fitzalan
George Plimpton
Sports writer, Humorist, and Journalist
19th cousin 2 times removed
via Sir Maurice de Berkeley
George Plimpton
Sports writer, Humorist, and Journalist
18th cousin 2 times removed
via Sir John Howard
View entire list of famous kin for Nelson Rockefeller
Please note: The ancestor reports on this website have been compiled from thousands of different sources, many over 100 years old. These sources are attached to each ancestor so that you can personally judge their reliability. As with any good genealogical research, if you discover a link to your own family tree, consider it a starting point for further research. It is always preferable to locate primary records where possible. FamousKin.com cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy and reliability of these sources.