ROCKEFELLER, LAURANCE S(PELMAN)

born May 26, 1910, New York City U.S. venture capitalist and philanthropist, third of the five sons of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. He graduated from Princeton University with a degree in philosophy (1932) but became the most business-minded of all the Rockefeller brothers. He participated in the founding of Eastern Airlines (1938) and, within a few years, held the largest share of the company's stock (100 percent of its preferred). He was also associated with McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. During World War II he was in the U.S. Navy. After the war he engaged in a wide range of investments, from resort hotels to nuclear equipment and computers. In later life he became more involved in various conservation programs, especially as chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality (196973), president of the American Conservation Association, and chairman of the New York Zoological Society.