Laurance S. Rockefeller

Born into one of the nation's greatest family fortunes, Laurance Rockefeller had a lifelong affinity for the environment. The fourth of six children of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, he earned a BA from Princeton University, attended Harvard Law School, and served in the Navy during World War II.

Laurance was less attracted to the spotlight than his brothers Nelson (who was vice president under Gerald Ford and served four terms as New York's governor) or Winthrop (who was governor of Arkansas). While other family members distinguished themselves as businessmen and politicians, Laurance was drawn primarily to the outdoors. He gave 50,000 acres to the National Park Service to form Virgin Islands National Park, was instrumental in the establishment of Redwood National Park in California, and donated his ranch to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Laurance served under five presidents in several capacities related to conservation and the outdoors, founded the American Conservation Association in 1958, and was head of Jackson Hole Preserve Inc., a conservation organization. He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1991 for his efforts to preserve the environment. He also became a pivotal developer of venture capital by helping to finance Eastern Airlines in 1938. At the time of his death, he was No. 377 on Forbes' list of billionaires, with $1.5 billion.