Abigail Greene Aldrich

Abigail Greene Aldrich Rockefeller (October 26, 1874 – April 5, 1948) was an American socialite and philanthropist. She was a prominent member of the Rockefeller family through her marriage to financier and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr., the son of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller Sr. Her father was Nelson W. Aldrich, who served as a Senator from Rhode Island. Rockefeller was known for being the driving force behind the establishment of the Museum of Modern Art. Early life Abigail Greene Aldrich Rockefeller was born in Providence, Rhode Island, as the fourth child to Senator Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich and Abigail Pearce Truman Chapman. The majority of her childhood was divided between Providence and Warwick Neck in Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C. Owing to her father's prominence as a congressman, Rockefeller was introduced at an early age to elevated political circles. The figures that her parents entertained included Senator William Allison, Senator Eugene Hale, Senator William P. Frye, General Ambrose Burnside, William McKinley, Mary Lee, and Elizabeth Bacon Custer. Her early education came at the hands of Quaker governesses. From 1891 to 1893 she was enrolled at Miss Abbott's School for Young Ladies in Providence, Rhode Island. There she studied English composition and literature, French, German, art history, ancient history, gymnastics, and dancing.