Nelson Rockefeller

Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 - January 26, 1979) was a Governor of New York and Vice President of the United States of America.

He was the son of John Davison Rockefeller, Jr.[?], the grandson of John Davison Rockefeller, Sr. and Senator Nelson W. Aldrich[?] of Rhode Island (for whom he was named), the brother of Governor Winthrop S. Rockefeller[?] of Arkansas, and the uncle of Governor and Senator John Davison Rockefeller, IV[?] of West Virginia.

He served as governor of New York from 1959 to 1973 (elected to four terms, he served three and a half), and then as the 41st Vice President of the United States of America under Gerald Ford (1974-1977).

As governor of New York, he pushed for extremely strict laws against possession of drugs; these laws, still in force, mandate longer prison sentences for drug possession than for most other felonies. He was considered one of the leaders of the moderate wing of the Republican Party of the United States.