After coming to Arkansas in 1953, Rockefeller set up Winrock Farm on Petit Jean Mountain, just outside the town of Morrilton, 60 miles north of the state capital of Little Rock. Through the farm he introduced a Santa Gertrudis herd to the state and quickly began to break records in cattle sales. Rockefeller pioneered a number of innovations and practices in agriculture at Winrock, but his most lasting contribution to the state was in industry.
In 1955, Governor Orval Faubus appointed Rockefeller to the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission (AIDC), and soon Rockefeller was chairing the group, bringing in out-of-state experts and making personal calls to business leaders throughout the country. These prominent leaders were more than happy to speak with a Rockefeller. Through his leadership, AIDC brought in 90,000 new jobs with annual payrolls exceeding $270 million. But soon Arkansas hit the headlines for all of the wrong reasons with the 1957 Little Rock school desegregation crisis. Rockefeller pleaded with Faubus for over two hours not to call out the National Guard to block the entrance of African American students to Central High School. He argued that it would derail economic development. Faubus ignored him and no new industries came to Little Rock for the next three years.
Realizing that he would need to create a new political climate in Arkansas to attract outside investors, Rockefeller quit the AIDC in 1964 and announced his run for governor. Although Faubus defeated him in the 1964 gubernatorial election, Rockefeller won office in 1966 and was re-elected in 1968.
Research sources in the area of industry and agriculture are located in Record Groups I through VII:
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- Materials in Record Group I document his extensive work with the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission and other activities to improve the economy and working lives of all Arkansans.
- Record Groups III and IV, Governor's and Public Relations, contain files detailing his work as governor to improve the state's economic prospects in both agriculture and industry.
- Record Groups V and VI include Winrock Enterprises, a venture capital company for small business, and Winrock Farms, the cattle operation. Record Group VII (Photos, Audio and Video) includes images plus extensive audio sources.