Our Long History in Asia
Steve McCurry
John Davison Rockefeller, Sr. (1839–1937), a founding partner of the Standard Oil Company, embraced philanthropy early in life. In his teens, he regularly donated money from his first job to charity.
As his personal wealth grew, so did his generosity. In 1913, he established the Rockefeller Foundation to promote the well-being of humanity around the world. The very next year, the Foundation helped create the China Medical Board and, in 1917, initiated Thailand’s anti-hookworm campaign.
When Prince Mahidol of Thailand was stationed in the United States during World War I, a meeting with Rockefeller led to a collaborative alliance. From 1919-1934, Prince Mahidol negotiated, on behalf of the Royal Thai Government, an agreement with the Foundation providing critical assistance for medical and nursing education in Thailand.
Today the Prince Mahidol Award Conference commemorates his great contributions to the progress of Thailand’s modern medicine and public health. The annual award honors individuals or institutions for their outstanding performance and/or research with a global impact on the field of medicine and public health.
The Rockefeller Foundation also laid the groundwork for what became known as the Green Revolution—an agricultural innovation credited with ending widespread hunger in India and Southeast Asia and saving more than a billion lives around the world.
Starting in 1915, the Foundation opened field offices serving China, the Philippines, India, and then Thailand, where our Asia Regional Office is now located, in Bangkok.
