Text | Lena

The Rockefeller family is a unique and extraordinary family. In the second half of the 19th century, John D. Rockefeller started a family legend and was called "the first billionaire on earth."

Due to the Rockefeller family's huge influence in the oil industry and its prominent wealth and reputation, there are books and stories about Rockefellers from different eras on the market, and sometimes it is inevitable that they will be "shown".

In order to facilitate the "check-in" when reading, based on the background and growth environment of each generation of Rockefellers, and to understand their views on wealth at the same time, I found the most important family diagram of the first three generations of the Rockefeller family. I wrote a simple picture description to clarify the relationship between the characters with everyone.

The deep-rooted Rockefeller family

The first generation:

John D. Rockefeller Sr.

"The first billionaire in American history", lived to be 98 years old

Lao Laura spelman Rockefeller

1839-1915, wife of John I, beautiful and virtuous, loving family

Second generation:

John D. Rockefeller Jr.

1874-1960, the only son of John Sr., focused on philanthropy and art collection. He donated US$500 million in his lifetime

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller

1874-1948, wife of John II, one of the founders of the Museum of Modern Art in New York

Martha Baird Rockefeller

1895-1971, the second wife of John II, a world-class pianist in the 1920s

Abby (Babs) Rockefeller Milton

1903-1976, the eldest sister, she was adopted by her family Known as "Babs" to her friends, distinguishing her from her mother, she was enthusiastic about philanthropy

John D. Rockefeller 3rd

1906- 1978, focused on philanthropy

Nelson A. Rockefeller

1908-1979, re-elected as governor of New York State 4 times, appointed by President Ford in 1974 Vice President

Laurence S. Rockefeller

1910-2004, the "Resurgence King" of the Rockefeller family, the father of venture capital, famous for his work in environmental and cancer research and He received many honors for his achievements

Winthrop. Rockefeller 1912-1973, served as Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas

David Rockefeller (David Rockefeller) 1915-2017, the youngest brother, the third generation heir of the Rockefeller family, former chairman of Chase Bank, author of "Rockefeller Memoirs", died at the age of 101

Today, the Rockefeller family has passed down to the sixth generation, with more than 200 family members active in various fields such as politics, economy, education, medicine, and art.

The Wealth Creation Generation’s Views on Reading

Many aspects of life are repetitive. Through reading, you can learn from other people’s experiences and make problems easier to solve.

This time, what I recommend to everyone is the autobiography of John D. Rockefeller I.

This book is not so much an autobiography as it is an essay based on John Sr.'s remarks and reports. The language is simple and full of insights into life and wealth. Especially in the letters written by John Sr. to John Sr., I often can't help but read them to my son when I see the deep understanding.

Autobiography of Rockefeller

John Sr. greatly appreciated his son’s extensive reading in order to learn company management, and told his son that if he wanted to learn about good books on business, he could consult a business professor. , ask them to be their learning consultants. Because they are the most sensitive to cutting-edge knowledge, they will also know about excellent papers in a certain field for the first time.

This method also has reference significance for us to choose books for our children. The importance of reading is self-evident to families. Buffett, Morgan, Chesterfield and other rich people at the top of the pyramid have emphasized the importance of reading in their letters to their children. Reading is one of the most beautiful things in the world. Reading allows us to learn without making mistakes. Reading also allows us to understand all kinds of life, opinions and worries.

But how to choose good books among the vast sea of ??books often confuses parents. We might as well borrow Old John's thinking, find top figures in different fields, and find books based on their guidance. For example, when choosing classics, you might as well take a look at Somerset Maugham's "Books and You", which recommends nearly 40 famous books that are moving, interesting or enjoyable, along with brief book reviews.

The books recommended in Old John's letter to his children include Bancroft's "A History of the United States", Thomas Wolfe's novel "You Can't Go Home Again", and Emerson's "On the History of the United States". "Self-Reliance", "The Capital of Success", "The Power of Thinking", "Book of Proverbs", "Bartrett's Collection of Frequently Used Aphorisms", etc.

Billionaire’s views on financial education

No matter how good the steak is, you can only eat one piece at a time.

John Sr. is the founder of the "Rockefeller Empire" and the first billionaire in world history. The reason why the Rockefeller family has lasted for six generations and endures for a long time is inseparable from his education concept of diligence, thrift, hard work, and even his attitude of leading by example.

The Rockefeller family believed in the Puritan creed that opposed luxury. They never built any vulgar monumental buildings. They didn’t pick their teeth with gold toothpicks or lather shaving cream in 18-karat gold bowls. Nor do their wives wear mink underwear and shorts and serve plates of guinea fowl in mink tents.

Old John believes that those who only exchange material wealth for enjoyment will soon become boring. He said, "There are only two functions of money: one is to invest and expect higher returns; the other is to use it to obtain joy and happiness."

In John Sr.'s letter to his son, His strict, frank, and emotional attitude is moving. He hopes that his children will neither be misers nor spend money wantonly.

Old John is very strict about the management of his children's money. When his son borrows $1,000 from him, he charges his son 20% interest per year and deducts $10 from his son's salary every month. He also pointed out in harsh terms that wealth refers to the kind of life you can live with the money you have, not how much money you have.

Earning and paying are in a certain proportion. The more you earn, the heavier the burden will be, and the more you will pay.

Only by learning to control your expenses can you truly have wealth. Trouble often arises because expenses exceed income. Controlling your spending won't make you rich overnight or within a year, but it will keep you out of debt in the future and quietly build more wealth.

As for his son's extravagant bills for entertaining clients at top restaurants, he wrote, "The figures above alarm me. This should not become a habit in our family and our company." He doesn't think customers will either. Like this approach, the money the company spends comes from them and will be shaken by it.

Old John never spared any effort in emphasizing the importance of bookkeeping in his children’s financial training. Through accounting, you can clearly and accurately record each income and expenditure, and know where you made money and how much, or where you lost money. He believes that only by facing reality clearly can we make better plans for the next step. Old John regarded the account book as his most precious souvenir throughout his life.

The bookkeeping habit has been continued in the Rockefeller family. The second, third and even fourth generations of Rockefeller are all strictly required to have bookkeeping habits and undergo regular inspections. Otherwise, no one will Don’t expect to get a penny of fees.

According to legend, every Saturday morning, John Rockefeller II summoned his children one by one to his study to carefully review their account books. Although each of them only gets 30 cents of pocket money, which is much lower than children of the same age, they must be responsible for every penny. There was a five-cent fine for omissions in the books, and a five-cent reward for meticulous accounting. One-third of your pocket money can be spent on spending, one-third must be saved, and the remaining one-third must be donated to charity.

The Art of Giving

No excuse can make a person close his pockets and completely abandon his obligation to assume social responsibility.

In the eyes of the world, John Sr. has become an unprecedented rich man in the world through various means. But what many people don’t know is that it was John who pioneered the wealthy Americans’ charitable donations.

In 1913, John D. Rockefeller Sr. founded the Rockefeller Foundation. The founding capital is US$100 million and it is registered in New York. In 1928 the foundation merged with the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Fund, which had been founded in 1918. Due to additional new donations from the elder Rockefeller, the foundation's funds reached more than 300 million U.S. dollars in 1951 and exceeded 3.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2000.

China's Peking Union Medical College is the largest and most famous philanthropic undertaking of the Rockefeller Foundation in China; what is less known is the excavation and archaeological work of the "Peking Man" in Zhoukoudian, the Rockefeller Foundation Be involved from the start.

Rockefeller founded two top universities in the United States: the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University. In today's New York City, people can see landmarks left by the Rockefeller family everywhere, such as the United Nations Headquarters Building, Rockefeller Center, and so on. Because Rockefeller firmly believed that the purpose of life is to "earn as much money as possible from other viciously competitive businessmen, and use this money to develop causes that benefit mankind."

In the book, he spends a lot of time talking about the meaning and art of giving. John Sr. believes that donors should be helped to help themselves, just as people themselves are the fundamental force against disease. For example, we can understand the situation of unfortunate neighbors and provide services to help them solve and improve their internal problems. Easily acquired wealth is usually not a blessing but a curse.

Old John has followed a convention since he was a child, that is, young people should regularly donate the money they earn. At the age of 20, John Sr. developed a lifelong financial plan, including earning, spending and donating money. This routine made him feel grateful when he looked back when he grew up. It was this habit that made him realize his responsibility to others early on, and also allowed him to gain spiritual satisfaction and happiness. Under the education of Old John, Little John participated in the "Adopt an Elderly" event in Pittsburgh when he was a teenager, and also adopted an African girl through the American Adopted Child Program. Every time he read the letter from the girl, Little John's face changed. Everything shows the brilliance of happiness.

Teaching children to help others can help them learn to take responsibility and cherish wealth from an early age. Each family can donate money or provide services based on its actual situation. The act of giving may be very small. When you see someone in need, take the initiative to help; helping your neighbor's grandma carry heavy objects, even just saying hello to someone who has not been noticed by everyone, is also a way to start a kind heart.

It can be said that the spiritual wealth left by John Sr. is an important driving force for the continuous development of the family from generation to generation. "Without the wise guidance and socially responsible role models of parents, the inherited wealth will become a curse rather than a blessing." David Rockefeller, the third generation descendant, said in his memoirs.

In short, "The Autobiography of Rockefeller" tells how a rich man should make friends, raise children, work, start a business, manage, live, etc. The business and life philosophy contained in it is not only available to the rich,* **The enjoyment level is very rich and worth reading again and again.

In 2019, Rainbow Leopard will also continue to share more biographies and family letters of prominent families with you. We look forward to following the growth path of the world’s top rich, standing on the shoulders of giants, and constantly improving ourselves in family education. Views, financial management and other aspects of vision, together find the road to the peak of wealth.