The world's oldest billionaire dies at the age of 101

The world's oldest billionaire, David Rockefeller, died at the age of 101 on Monday at his home in Pocantico Hills, New York due to heart failure.

Billionaire David Rockefeller was born on June 12, 1915 in New York, the youngest son of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, who built the Standard Oil empire and was known as America's first billionaire. He attended Columbia University and graduated from Harvard University in 1936. He also studied at the London School of Economics and received a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago in 1940.

The billionaire's first job was drafting letters to New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia for $1 a year. When World War II broke out, he joined the army and served until 1945. In 1946, he went to work at Chase National Bank, where his uncle, Winthrop Aldrich, was president. In 1960, he became CEO of the bank, a position he held for 35 years.

Billionaire David Rockefeller during his time working at Chase National Bank in the 1970s.

Rockefeller once joked that he was the only one in the Rockefeller family generation who had to “earn a living.” He flew more than 5 million miles to 103 countries and met about 200 heads of state, with many different political positions, from the late Cuban president Fidel Castro to the late Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. This billionaire was also a close friend of many great politicians in the world at that time such as: Deng Xiaoping, Nelson Mandela or Henry Kissinger…

Today, Chase is part of JPMorgan Chase & Co, the largest bank in the United States by total assets, after Chemical Banking Corp bought Chase in 1995 and merged JP Morgan & Co and Bank One Corp in 2000 and 2004, respectively.

Rockefeller also served as President of the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association. He and his brother, Governor Nelson, played an important role in the construction of the World Trade Center and the Wall Street financial district in the 1960s and 1970s. On September 11, 2001, he witnessed the collapse of the towers from his office on the 56th floor of Rockefeller Center. He was later invited to be an honorary member of the committee approving the design of the 9/11 memorial.

David Rockefeller is also known for his philanthropy, donating more than $900 million during his lifetime. In 2006, he decided to donate $225 million to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which he and his brothers founded in 1940 to promote social progress around the world. In 2008, Rockefeller donated $100 million to Harvard University. The year before, he also donated $100 million to two institutions: the Museum of Modern Art, founded by his mother, and Rockefeller University, founded by his grandfather.

At the age of 90, billionaire David Rockefeller still goes to the office at 10 am and leaves at 5 pm.

“No single person has contributed more to the commerce and life of New York City over a longer period of time than David Rockefeller. During my time at City Hall, he was always in town when we called,” said Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York and founder of Bloomberg.

About 10 years ago, at the age of 90, billionaire David Rockefeller was still sharp, arriving at the office at 10am and leaving at 5pm. He often exercised before work and drank some white wine at lunch.

The death of billionaire David Rockefeller also closed a chapter in the history of the Rockefeller family - one of the richest families in America. But today, although he died a billionaire, David Rockefeller's assets pale in comparison to modern billionaires of the 21st century such as Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. It is estimated that his total assets are only about 3.2 billion dollars.

According to VNE