Winthrop Paul Rockefeller
| Winthrop Paul Rockefeller | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Win Rockefeller being presented with a check for the Arkansas Read First program on August 14, 2002. | |
| 13th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas | |
| In office July 15, 1996 – July 16, 2006 |
|
| Governor | Mike Huckabee |
| Preceded by | Mike Huckabee |
| Succeeded by | Bill Halter |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 17, 1948 New York City, USA |
| Died | July 16, 2006 (aged 57) Little Rock, Arkansas, USA |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Deborah Cluett Sage (2) Lisenne Dudderar |
| Alma mater | Texas Christian University |
| Profession | Politician, Farmer, Businessman |
| Religion | Methodist |
Winthrop Paul Rockefeller (September 17, 1948 – July 16, 2006) was a Republican politician who served as the 13th Lieutenant Governor of the US state of Arkansas from 1996 until his death.
Early life and parents
Winthrop Paul Rockefeller was born New York, and was the only child of Mr. Winthrop Rockefeller, the former Governor of Arkansas, and Mrs. Barbara Sears Rockefeller, and was known to his family and friends alike, as "Win".
His parents separated in 1950 and divorced four years later.
Rockefeller grew up in both the United States and in Europe and was educated at schools in New York, England and in Switzerland. He graduated from Texas Christian University (TCU) with a degree in Ranch Management.
Political career
Rockefeller served from 1981 to 1995 on the Arkansas State Police Commission. In 1991, he was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to serve on the President’s Council on Rural America and was elected chairman. Rockefeller also was a president of the Quapaw Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and served on the Boy Scouts National Board of Directors.
He was elected lieutenant governor in a November 1996 special election triggered by the resignation of Governor Jim Guy Tucker and the promotion of then-Lieutenant Governor Mike Huckabee. Rockefeller was subsequently re-elected in 1998 to a full four-year term, receiving 67 percent of the vote. Rockefeller was elected once again in 2002 with 60 percent of the vote.
According to his website: "As lieutenant governor he focused on economic development, education and literacy. As acting governor on September 11, 2001, the day terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, he resisted calls to declare a state of emergency and instead urged Arkansans to remain calm and to donate blood, which they did. He sponsored Project ChildSafe, a national firearms safety program that has distributed hundreds of thousands of free trigger locks in Arkansas, and he served as honorary chairman of the Arkansas Literary Festival. In 1997, Rockefeller created Books in the Attic, a program using existing resources, Boy Scouts, and volunteers to ensure access to reading opportunities for all children. In 2004, he served as chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas."[1]
In 2007, with permission from the Rockefeller family, the Arkansas Chapter of Young Republicans named their "Young Republican of the Year Award" after Win Rockefeller. The inaugural winner was Boyce Hamlet from Warren, Arkansas.
Marriages
On March 22, 1971, Rockefeller was married to New York born Miss Deborah Cluett Sage. The couple met while both were studying in Oxford, England. The wedding took place in Colonial Willamsburg, Virginia at Bruton Parish Church. The Groom's father Governor Winthrop Rockefeller and Mrs. Barbara Sears Rockefeller and families, together with the bride's mother Mrs. Constance Cluett Chryssicopoulos of New York and Athens, Greece and Mr. Louis Davidson Sage,from New York and their families were in attendance. The bride's sisters, Miss Marion Ticknor Sage, Miss Martha Davidson Sage and Miss Christina Sage were the bridesmaids and flower girl. The couple have three children: Miss Andrea Davidson July 31st 1972, Miss Katherine Cluett, February 7th, 1974 and Mr. Winthrop Paul, Jr. July 10th 1976. The couple divorced on January 11th 1979.
On June 4, 1983, he married for a second time to Lisenne Dudderar, an Administrative Assistant with the Arkansas Nature Conservancy. They had five children: William, Colin, John, Louis, and Grace, whom the Rockefellers adopted in Hong Kong. Lisenne and Winthrop Paul Rockefeller founded a school for children with learning disabilities in Little Rock, now known as the Academy at Riverdale.
Wealth
Rockefeller served as chief executive of Winrock Farms, Inc., which had been set up by his father, and had interests in various small businesses around the state: in retailing, automobiles, farming, and the resort industry. He was an active member of the National Federation of Independent Business.
Rockefeller was ranked # 283 on the Forbes magazine list of the nation's wealthiest people in 2005, with a fortune the magazine estimated at $1.2 billion. As lieutenant governor, which was a part-time job, he forwarded his $34,673 state salary to charity.[2]
Philanthropy
1986, founded The Billfish Foundation www.billfishfoundation.org, promoting the conservation of billfish worldwide through education, research and advocacy.
Illness and death
Rockefeller had announced his candidacy for Governor and was expected to face the more conservative Asa Hutchinson in the Republican primary election in May 2006. On July 20, 2005, however, he bowed out of the race, citing myeloproliferative disease, a blood disorder that can develop into leukemia if left untreated. In October 2005 and March 2006, Rockefeller underwent unsuccessful bone marrow transplants at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington.
On July 8, 2006, after the failure of his second bone marrow transplant, he returned to Little Rock and died July 16, 10:37 am, at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.
On July 19, his body lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda; and, the next day, a memorial service was held at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, where Rockefeller was a member.
External links
- "Arkansas Lt. Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller Dies at 57", New York Times, July 17, 2006
- "Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller Dies Peacefully", Todaysthv.com July 17, 2006.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Mike Huckabee |
Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas July 15, 1996 – July 16, 2006 |
Succeeded by Bill Halter |
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