41st United States Vice President, New York Governor. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 49th Governor of the State of New York for four consecutive terms from January 1959 until December 1973 and the 41st U.S. Vice President under President Gerald Ford from December 1974 until January 1977. Born Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, into the famous American family who amassed a fortune after the establishment of the Standard Oil Company founded by his grandfather John D. Rockefeller, Sr., he attained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College at Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1930 and acquired business experience through several of his family's entities. His ability as a leader was first noticed as he led efforts with the construction of Rockefeller Center through the Great Depression. At age 30, he became president of Rockefeller Center, Inc. He soon built up his political clout as he received several presidential appointments from Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Dwight Eisenhower, which led to his seeking and winning the Governorship of New York. His popularity after only one year in office led to an unsuccessful attempt in 1960 to secure the Republican presidential nomination which went to Richard Nixon. During his tenure as governor, he took a progressive philosophy towards issues including education, housing, and welfare. In 1964, he sought a second bid for the Republican presidential nomination, but lost out to the conservative Barry Goldwater. Rockefeller tried a third time in 1968 to lead the Republican Party as their presidential candidate ,but was once again defeated by Nixon who went onto become President. After President Nixon's resignation in 1974, his successor Gerald Ford selected him as his choice for vice president, which was confirmed by both the House of Representatives and Senate a few months later. He was not on the Republican ticket when President Ford sought election in 1976. During his life, he was the recipient of numerous foreign and national awards, including the Chilean Order of Merit (1946), the French Commander Legion of Honor (1960), the Nationalist China Grand Cordon of the Order of the Brilliant Star (1969), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1970).