Nelson Rockefeller strictly conservative course. Rockefeller's programs did not consistently follow either liberal or conservative ideology." Early fiscal policies were conservative while later ones were not so. In the later years of his administration "conservative decisions on social programs were paralleled by liberal ones on environmental issues." Rockefeller was opposed by conservatives in the GOP such as Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan because of his liberal political views. As governor, Rockefeller spent more than his predecessors. Rockefeller expanded the state's infrastructure, increased spending on education including a massive expansion of the State University of New York, and increased the state's involvement in
Martha Baird Rockefeller Martha Baird Rockefeller Martha Baird Rockefeller was an American pianist, philanthropist and longtime advocate for the arts. Born in Madera County, California in the community of Madera on March 15, 1895, Martha Baird Rockefeller was the second oldest child of merchant William F. Baird (1861—1916) and Almina Abby (Smith) Baird (1862—1903), a piano and organ instructor in the University of Southern California's College of Music. Her mother, who was known to family and friends as "Mina," was her first piano instructor; her first classroom experiences were undertaken at the Westside School on what is, today, the grounds of Madera High