Mary Rockefeller
First wife of Nelson Rockefeller (1907–1999)
title: "Mary Rockefeller" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["rockefeller-family", "clark-banking-family", "1907-births", "1999-deaths", "people-from-philadelphia", "first-ladies-and-gentlemen-of-new-york-(state)"] description: "First wife of Nelson Rockefeller (1907–1999)" topic_path: "economics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Rockefeller" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary First wife of Nelson Rockefeller (1907–1999) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Mary Rockefeller |
| image | Mary Rockefeller (5279330371).jpg |
| caption | Rockefeller as First Lady of New York |
| order | First Lady of New York |
| term_start | January 1, 1959 |
| term_end | March 16, 1962 |
| term_label | In role |
| predecessor | Marie Norton Harriman |
| successor | Happy Rockefeller |
| governor | Nelson Rockefeller |
| birth_name | Mary Todhunter Clark |
| birth_date | June 17, 1907 |
| birth_place | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| death_place | New York City, U.S. |
| education | Foxcroft School |
| spouse | |
| children | 5, including Rodman, Ann, Steven, and Michael |
| father | Percy Hamilton Clark |
| relatives | George B. Roberts (grandfather) |
| :: |
| name = Mary Rockefeller | image = Mary Rockefeller (5279330371).jpg | caption = Rockefeller as First Lady of New York | order = First Lady of New York | term_start = January 1, 1959 | term_end = March 16, 1962 | term_label = In role | predecessor = Marie Norton Harriman | successor = Happy Rockefeller | governor = Nelson Rockefeller | party = | birth_name = Mary Todhunter Clark | birth_date = June 17, 1907 | birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = New York City, U.S. | alma_mater = | education = Foxcroft School | spouse = | children = 5, including Rodman, Ann, Steven, and Michael | father = Percy Hamilton Clark | residence = | relatives = George B. Roberts (grandfather) | signature =
Mary Todhunter Clark Rockefeller (June 17, 1907 – April 21, 1999) was the first wife of Nelson Rockefeller, the 49th governor of New York and the 41st vice president of the United States. She served as the first lady of New York from 1959 until the Rockefellers' divorce in March 1962. After their divorce, Nelson Rockefeller remained governor and would later become the 41st vice president of the United States, serving under President Gerald Ford.
Early life
Known as Tod to her family, Mary was born in the Germantown section of Philadelphia on June 17, 1907. She was the daughter of Elizabeth Williams (née Roberts) Clark and Percy Hamilton Clark, an attorney and noted cricketer. Among her siblings were two brothers, John R. Clark and Dr. Thomas W. Clark.
Her maternal grandfather was George B. Roberts, a former president of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Tod attended the Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia and studied at the Sorbonne in France, but didn't graduate, instead returning to Philadelphia where she made her debut and became active in the Junior League.
Career
In 1932, Mary began volunteering at the Bellevue School of Nursing in Manhattan, which was administered with Bellevue Hospital. She served on the school's board for many years, including a stint as the board president.
Personal life
On June 23, 1930, Mary married Nelson Rockefeller, a grandson of John D. Rockefeller, at St. Asaph's Episcopal Church in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, with a reception at the home of her parents, a few days after Nelson had graduated from Dartmouth College. They had five children:
- Rodman Clark Rockefeller (1932–2000)
- Ann Rockefeller Roberts (1934–2024), a founder and president of the Fund of the Four Directions.
- Steven Clark Rockefeller (b. 1936), a former dean of Middlebury College.
- Mary Rockefeller Callard (b. 1938), Michael's twin.
- Michael Clark Rockefeller (1938–1961), who disappeared during an expedition in the Asmat region of southwestern Netherlands New Guinea.
Mary divorced her husband on March 16, 1962 in Reno, Nevada on grounds of extreme mental cruelty. A year later, "Happy" Murphy became the governor's second wife.
She died at her home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in 1999 at the age of 91.
References
References
- Reich, Cary. ''The Life of Nelson A. Rockefeller: Worlds to Conquer, 1908 - 1958'', New York: Doubleday, 1996.
- (23 April 1999). "Paid Notice: Deaths ROCKEFELLER, MARY CLARK". [[The New York Times]].
- (16 May 2000). "Rodman Rockefeller, 68, Dies; Active in Latin Trade Efforts". [[The New York Times]].
- Roberts, Sam. (20 December 2024). "Ann Rockefeller Roberts, Champion of Native Americans, Dies at 90". The New York Times.
- "Ann Rockefeller Robertsn, author of The Rockefeller Family Home: Kykuit". [[Abbeville Press]].
- (4 March 1979). "T. G. Harris Weds Ann Roberts". [[The New York Times]].
- (30 December 1984). "The Cousins". [[The New York Times]].
- (July 30, 1995). "MICHAEL ROCKEFELLER'S QUEST: HOW DID IT END?". [[Sun-Sentinel]].
- Hoffmann, Carl. (March 2014). "What Really Happened to Michael Rockefeller". Smithsonian Magazine.
- (January 1, 1964). "Rockefeller, Second Wife Expecting Baby In June". [[New York Times]].
- Eric Pace. (22 April 1999). "Mary C. Rockefeller, Governor's Former Wife, Dead at 91". [[New York Times]].
- (April 23, 1999). "MARY CLARK ROCKEFELLER, ONETIME FIRST LADY OF N.Y.". [[Chicago Tribune]].
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