David Rockefeller, the patriarch of the Rockefeller family and a former chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Bank, died Monday, March 20, 2017. He was 101. Rockefeller was quietly one of the leading international figures of the 20th century. Both as a member of the wealthy Rockefeller family and as the chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Bank, he wielded tremendous influence on the world stage. In the wake of World War II, he was a key player in the drive to integrate economics and politics into a single worldwide system. Writing in his autobiography, "Memoirs," he addressed his critics and explained his goals as he saw them. "Populists and isolationists ignore the tangible benefits that have resulted from our active international role during the past half-century." He continued, "There have been fundamental improvements in societies around the world, particularly in the United States, as a result of global trade, improved communications, and the heightened interaction of people from different cultures."
