Introduction

In October 1918 John D. Rockefeller established the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial. For its first four years the Memorial focused on providing resources to assist the well-being of women and children. In January 1921 Rockefeller supplemented the Memorial's original endowment of over $13 million with an additional roughly $60 million, which would be used for a programme to support fundamental research in the social sciences. This programme represented a radical redirection of Rockefeller philanthropy, and was a profound event in the history of social science. For its next eight years, until January 1929, the Memorial focused on providing resources to social scientists in an effort to promote the broad advancement of knowledge, methods and applications in the social sciences. This chapter looks at the creation of the Memorial and at the transition phase between 1921 and 1923.

The Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial

John D. Rockefeller established the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial in honour of his late wife. The charter purpose of the Memorial was to assist women and children. Through its first three years in existence, the Memorial focused on its charter purpose, which it pursued mostly through religious organizations.

The Memorial initially was operated out of the office of John D. Rockefeller, Jr, and the main executive overseeing the Memorial was Willard S. Richardson.