Jane Rockefeller
Jane Rockefeller | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 69th United States Secretary of Treasury | |
| In office January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Nicholas F. Brady |
| Succeeded by | Donald Regan |
| United States Senator from New York | |
| In office September 10, 1968 – January 20, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Robert F. Kennedy |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Patrick Moynihan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jane Abby Aldrich Rockefeller May 26, 1925 New York City, New York, United States |
| Died | February 1, 2007 (aged 81) Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts |
| Resting place | Rockefeller Family Cemetery Sleepy Hollow, New York |
| Political party | Republican (until 1980) Independent (1980-2007) |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | George C. Rockefeller |
| Parent(s) | Prince George, Duke of Southampton Abby Rockefeller |
| Relatives | Rockefeller family |
| Education | Harvard University (BEc, MEc, PhD) |
Jane Abby Aldrich Rockefeller (May 26, 1925 - February 1, 2007) was an American businesswoman, socialite, and politician who served as the 69th United States Secretary of Treasury from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton, and previously a senator from New York from 1968 to 1993, making her the longest-serving senator from the state at twenty-five years long. A member of the prominent and wealthy Rockefeller family, Rockefeller, much like her relatives, was originally a member of the Republican Party. However, following the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980, Rockefeller dramatically departed the party in favour of becoming an independent politician, a move that made her one of the most prominent independent politicians in America until her retirement from politics in 2001. As perhaps the most famous female member of the Rockefeller family during her lifetime, coupled with her being the daughter of a British prince, she was therefore popularly nicknamed "Princess Rockefeller" by the media.
Much like her uncle, Nelson Rockefeller, Jane Rockefeller was generally considered to be a liberal or progressive. Prior to entering politics, she served as her father's chief assistant in running the latter's shipping company, Southampton Line. Around the same time, after completing her secondary education, Rockefeller went on to further her education at Harvard University, where she largely majored in economics. In the midst of this, she went on to earn three academic degrees from Harvard University, beginning with a bachelor's degree in economics, followed by a master's degree, and later a PhD. In 1952, she joined the International Basic Economy Corporation, a business founded by her uncle, Nelson, hoping to stimulate the underdeveloped economies of certain countries.
In 1968, Rockefeller made her first jump into politics when she was appointed as the new New York senator by then-Governor Nelson Rockefeller following the assassination of the incumbent, Robert F. Kennedy. Following this, she would go on to maintain her seat for a record of twenty-five years, during which she either sponsored or championed bills meant to promote further environmental conservation, and the expansion of civil rights and the country's welfare system.
In 1993, she was chosen by President Bill Clinton to become the new Secretary of Treasury, a position she promptly accepted. Then, during her almost decade-long tenure as Treasury Secretary, Rockefeller proved instrumental in the United States's ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which formed a trilateral trade bloc consisting of the United States and its two close neighbours, Canada and Mexico. At the same time, in line with her longstanding emphasis on social welfare, Rockefeller also advocated for further financial investment into low-income areas.
Concurrent with the election of George W. Bush as president in 2001, Rockefeller chose to retire from politics altogether, and lived out the last years of her life at a private residence at Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, where she eventually died at the age of eighty-one. She was subsequently buried alongside her family at the Rockefeller Family Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York.
In 1956, she married an American lawyer, Cassius Curtis, with whom she had one son, George C. Rockefeller. Despite this, amidst rumours of incompatibility, the couple later divorced in 1961, after which Rockefeller remained unmarried for the rest of her life.