Winthrop Paul Rockefeller
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Winthrop Paul "Win" Rockefeller (September 17, 1948 – July 16, 2006) was Lieutenant Governor of the U.S. state of Arkansas from 1996 until his death. He was the son of former Arkansas governor Winthrop Rockefeller, and a fourth-generation member of the renowned Rockefeller family. He was a first cousin of Democratic U.S. Senator John D. "Jay" Rockefeller, IV of West Virginia.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
He attended Pembroke College, Oxford University and graduated from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas with a degree in ranch management. He later served as a trustee at Texas Christian University.
He 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 was a past president of the Quapaw Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and served on the Boy Scouts National Board of Directors.
[edit] 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. [1].
[edit] Political career
Rockefeller was well known for representing the more liberal wing of the Republican Party in Arkansas. He drew criticism from conservatives for his support of Planned Parenthood and legal abortion [2].
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-Lt. Governor Mike Huckabee. Rockefeller was subsequently re-elected in 1998 to a full four-year term, receiving 67 percent of the vote.
According to his official 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 2004, he served as chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas." [3] In 1997, he created Books in the Attic, a program using existing resources, Boy Scouts, and volunteers to ensure access to reading opportunities for all children.
Rockefeller was elected once again in 2002 with 60 percent of the vote.
[edit] Medical crisis 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 could have developed into leukemia if left untreated. Rockefeller underwent unsuccessful bone marrow transplants at Seattle, Washington's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in October 2005 and March 2006.
He returned from Seattle to Little Rock on July 8, 2006, after his second bone marrow transplant failed, and died at 10:37 a.m. on July 16 at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, surrounded by his family.
His body lay in state at the Capitol Rotunda in Little Rock on Wednesday July 19, 2006. A memorial service was held Thursday July 20, 2006 at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church where Rockefeller was a member.
He is survived by his wife Lisenne Dudderar Rockefeller and his mother Barbara Sears "Bobo" Rockefeller; and his eight children, Sons: Winthrop Paul Jr., William, Colin, John, & Louis; and Daughters: Andrea, Kat, & Grace.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Arkansas Lt. Governor Website
- Books in the Attic Website
- "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.
| Preceded by: Mike Huckabee (R) |
Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas 1996–2006 |
Succeeded by: Bill Halter (elected) |
