US billionaire David Rockefeller passes on

David Rockefeller, philanthropist and billionaire was declared dead after he passed on in his sleep at his home in New York, Pocantico Hills at the age of 101, his spokesman Fraser P. Seitel, has announced.

He was the youngest of John D. Rockefeller Jnr’s brood of five and grandson to oil magnate John D. Rockefeller. David was the head as well as guardian of his family’s vast fortune.

He is claimed to have been one of the last notable American billionaires although his success isn’t entirely propagated from his family’s vast fortune: He was quite prominent in the spurring of projects that led to the establishment of the World trade.

Unlike his family members who usually shied away from the spot light, Rockefeller embraced the world: meeting more than 100 heads of state in his lifestyle as well as upholding his family’s patronage for the arts and philanthropy.

A graduate of Harvard (class of 1936) he went ahead to acquire a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago in 1940. After serving in the army during the World War II Rockefeller returned to pursue his career in international banking where he rose in hierarchy eventually landing him the presidency of Chase Bank and a key asset in its merger with the Manhattan Company.

Michael Bloomberg, a former mayor and fellow billionaire described him as a great contributor to the commercial and civic life of New York whilst other called him a true statesman.