Laurance Rockefeller Jr.

{{short description|Attorney from the United States}} {{Use American English|date=April 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = Laurance Rockefeller Jr. | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Laurance Spelman Rockefeller Jr. | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1944}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | resting_place= | other_names = | occupation = Environmental lawyer | years_active = | boards = | alma_mater = Harvard College<br>Columbia Law School<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/26/style/wendy-gordon-has-nuptials.html|title = Wendy Gordon Has Nuptials|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 26 September 1982}}</ref> | parents = Laurance Rockefeller<br/>Mary French | spouse = Wendy Gordon | children = 2 | relatives = Rockefeller family }}

'''Laurance "Larry" Spelman Rockefeller Jr.,''' (born 1944) is an American environmental lawyer. He worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council for 25 years. Rockefeller is now a trustee of the organization.<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=231019630&privcapId=4317740&previousCapId=5909425&previousTitle=Harte%20Research%20Institute%20for%20Gulf%20of%20Mexico%20Studies Company Overview of Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.]</ref> He stated that his family all shared an interest in environmental matters. "If we see a problem, we roll up our sleeves, enlist the help of others, apply our resources and get the job done," he said.<ref>{{cite news |title=They Saved Land Like Rockefellers |website=The New York Times |last=DePalma |first=Anthony |date=15 November 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502073357/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/15/nyregion/they-saved-land-like-rockefellers.html |archive-date=2023-05-02 |url-status=live |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/15/nyregion/they-saved-land-like-rockefellers.html}}</ref>

==Family background== Rockefeller's parents were Laurance Rockefeller (1910–2004) and Mary French (1910–1997). He has three older sisters, Marion, Laura, and Lucy, and is a fourth generation member of the Rockefeller family. His patrilineal great-grandfather was Standard Oil's co-founder John D. Rockefeller<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pLsyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=x-oFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3750,1979692&dq=laura-rockefeller-chasin&hl=en|title=Released trustees agree to discuss woman president|date=23 April 1976|work=Miami News|accessdate=18 February 2011}}</ref> and his matrilineal great-grandfather was Frederick H. Billings, a president of Northern Pacific Railway. Both of his grandmothers, Mary Billings French and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, were important to the early development of YWCA USA.

==Political aspirations== Rockefeller ran for the Republican nomination in the 1992 United States Senate election in New York, campaigning against incumbent Alfonse D'Amato, and criticizing the conservative wing of the party.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/09/nyregion/rockefeller-enters-race-for-senate.html |title=Rockefeller Enters Race for Senate |work=The New York Times |date=July 9, 1992 |last=Verhovek |first=Sam Howe}}</ref> However, his campaign struggled to gain enough signatures to get on the ballot, and ultimately failed to do so.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/08/12/Rockefeller-will-ask-court-to-place-him-on-ballot/1428713592000/|title = Rockefeller will ask court to place him on ballot|website = United Press International|date = August 12, 1992|last = Lyle|first = Morgan|accessdate = June 24, 2018}}</ref>

==Board memberships== He is the co-founder and was the former Vice-Chair of the New York League of Conservation Voters, (NYLCV).<ref>{{cite news |last=Katz |first=Celeste |date=October 1, 2014 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/gov-cuomo-ad-enlists-real-rockefeller-republican-unload-rob-astorino-blog-entry-1.1959401 |title=Gov. Cuomo ad enlists a real Rockefeller Republican to unload on Rob Astorino - UPDATED |work=New York Daily News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075626/http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/gov-cuomo-ad-enlists-real-rockefeller-republican-unload-rob-astorino-blog-entry-1.1959401 |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref> Rockefeller is currently a Trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council and President of the American Conservation Association. Rockefeller served as a member of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission for 27 years.

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.njpalisades.org/pipc.html#top Palisades Interstate Park Commission] *[http://www.nrdc.org/about/ National Resources Defense Council] *[https://books.google.com/books?id=cbBb0b_8F30C&dq=larry+rockefeller&pg=PA114 Interview with Larry Rockefeller] *{{C-SPAN|21115}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rockefeller, Laurance Jr.}} Laurance Jr. Category:Winthrop family Category:American people of German descent Category:American environmentalists Category:Living people Category:Columbia Law School alumni Category:Harvard University alumni Category:1944 births Category:New York (state) Republicans Category:American people of English descent