Sydney Roberts Rockefeller married into the iconic family, prominent in U.S. politics, industry, and philanthropy since the 1800s – and she’s made a name for herself as an artist, competitive sailor, and big Obama supporter.
She once “spent hours in the cold volunteering for Obama,” the Bangor Daily News reported in 2009.
That was during Obama’s visit to Bangor during the 2008 primaries. Later, when he was elected, she traveled to D.C. with a group of friends for the inauguration.
Roberts Rockefeller, in her seventies, a resident of Seal Harbor, is one of Maine’s biggest donors to federal and state politics, having given $47,800 to the Democratic National Committee and $6,544 to the Democratic Senatorial Committee since January 2013.
During the previous election cycle, Roberts Rockefeller was a big supporter of President Barack Obama’s re-election bid. She gave $9,012 to the Obama Victory Fund, a joint fund-raising committee that supported both Obama’s re-election campaign and the DNC, and $3,450 to Obama for America.
“I am speechless with hope and enthusiasm!” wrote Roberts Rockefeller on her Facebook page when he was re-elected.
In the current cycle, she’s supported the bids of Shenna Bellows for U. S. Senate and Emily Cain for Congress, donating $2,000 and $2,500 respectively. She served on the committee for a November 2013 fundraiser for U.S. Rep Michael Michaud, now running for governor. Tickets cost $50 to $500.
Like Obama, the candidates Roberts Rockefeller supports are all Democrats.
A summer resident of Maine since she was a child, she has now made Mount Desert Island her home.
A dozen Rockefellers own millions of dollars worth of property along the southern coast of the island, reported Bloomberg in 2011.
Roberts Rockefeller’s resume of community work is long, ranging from working for more affordable housing options on the island as board of directors vice president of the Island Housing Trust to contributing to nonprofits including Maine Hospice Council, Maine Seacoast Mission, and Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park.
The Island Housing Trust provided its first home ownership grant this September to a couple who had long searched for an affordable home on Mount Desert Island, reported the Bangor Daily News.
Since 1993, she has helped preserve the area’s maritime history through her work as chair of the board of directors for Great Harbor Maritime Museum. She served as chair of the Islands’ Association of Museums and Historical Societies from 2008 to 2011, working to build relations among local cultural institutions.
Roberts did not respond to a request for comment.
As an artist, her work has been featured in exhibits throughout the state, and she maintains her own private collection. She was long involved in beautification efforts in Boston, helping to redesign park benches in the ’70s and working with eight other artists on a bronze sculpture of water lilies and dragonflies in Post Office Square Park.
She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting from what’s now known as The University of the Arts in Pennsylvania, where she also studied sculpture and typography, and spent time in Paris, according to her LinkedIn profile.
After working as a graphic artist with the New York City Department of Parks, Roberts Rockefeller married David Rockefeller Jr., son of the head of Chase Manhattan Bank, a nephew of former vice president Nelson Rockefeller, and grandson of John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil in the 19th century, then the richest man in the world.
A dedicated sailor, she has raced on numerous boats over the past 60 years and owned her own sailboat since the mid-1970s, according to her biography on Acadia Senior College’s website. She’s also served as commodore of the Northeast Harbor Fleet, the yacht club where the Rockefellers and Armour Mellon, of the family who founded Mellon Bank, dock their boats, reported Bloomberg.
