Elizabeth Rockefeller Strong
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth "Bessie" Rockefeller Strong (August 23, 1866 – November 14, 1906) was the eldest child of oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....

 tycoon John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...

 (1839–1937) and his wife Laura Spelman Rockefeller
Laura Spelman Rockefeller
Laura Celestia Spelman Rockefeller, , , was a philanthropist, the namesake of Spelman College, founded to educate black women in the South, and the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial, and the wife of John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil...

 ("Cettie") (1839–1915).

Bessie Rockefeller was a special student at Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...

 1886–1888; Strong Hall
Strong Hall
Strong House , built in 1893, is a dormitory at Vassar College named after Bessie Rockefeller Strong, the oldest daughter of the famous oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller. It is the only all female dormitory remaining after Vassar went coeducational in 1969.It is located at Vassar College, in...

, the school's first dormitory
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...

, was named in honor of Bessie in 1893 by her father who contributed $35,000 toward the expense of the construction.

On March 22, 1889, she married philosopher and psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...

 Charles Augustus Strong and had one daughter, Margaret Rockefeller Strong de Larraín, Marquesa de Cuevas
Margaret Rockefeller Strong de Larraín, Marquesa de Cuevas
Margaret Rockefeller Strong Cuevas was an American activist.Cuevas was the daughter of Elizabeth Rockefeller Strong and her husband Dr. Charles Augustus Strong . Her maternal grandfather was Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller...

 (1897–1985).

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 Cleveland family of John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller , is an American industrial, banking, and political family of German origin that made one of the world's largest private fortunes in the oil business during the late 19th and early 20th...

  • John D. Rockefeller
    John D. Rockefeller
    John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...

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