William Rockefeller (May 31, 1841-June_24, 1922), American financier, was a cofounder of the prominent United States Rockefeller family.

William Rockefeller

The younger brother of John D. Rockefeller, William was born in Richford, New York. In 1853 his family moved to Strongsville, Ohio.

In 1865, he entered the oil business by starting a refinery. In 1867, his brother's company, Rockefeller & Andrews, absorbed this refinery, and in 1870, the company became Standard Oil.

William Rockefeller served as the company's New York representative until 1911 when Standard Oil of New Jersey was dissolved by the United States Supreme Court. He also had interests in copper, railways, and public utilities. Married to Almira Geraldine Goodsell, he built up the National City Bank of New York , and his son William Goodsell Rockefeller and Elsie Stillman, daughter of National City Bank president James Stillman, were the parents of James Stillman Rockefeller.

He died in 1922 in Tarrytown, New York and was interred in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, New York.

Children

1. Lewis Edward (1865-1866)
2. Emma (1868- )
3. William Goodsell (1870-1922)
4. John Davison (1872-1877)
5. Percy Avery (1878-1934)
6. Ethel Geraldine (1882-1973)