Jay Rockefeller, who served as West Virginia’s governor and later a longtime U.S. senator, died Thursday night at age 89.
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Jay Rockefeller, the last member of his family’s political dynasty and the state’s only Democrat to hold the posts of governor and long-serving U.S. senator, has died at 89.
Rockefeller died Thursday night at his home in Washington, according to Mary Stewart, vice president for external affairs at WETA, the public broadcasting station where Rockefeller’s wife, Sharon, serves as president and CEO.
Born John D. Rockefeller IV in New York City, he arrived in West Virginia in 1964 at age 27 to participate in the Volunteers in Service to America program in the mining community of Emmons, a period he later described as transformative.
Though he intended the stay to be brief, Rockefeller broke with his family’s Republican tradition. He was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates as a Democrat in 1966, then rose through state and statewide roles before winning the governorship.
After a defeat in the 1972 governor’s race to Republican Arch A. Moore Jr., Rockefeller stayed in West Virginia. He became president of West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1973, then won a landslide gubernatorial victory in 1976 over Republican Cecil Underwood.
As governor, Rockefeller emphasized infrastructure projects including roads, sewers and bridges, and said such work was “not very sexy things, I grant you but very, very necessary in West Virginia.”
Rockefeller later returned to national politics after defeating Arch Moore again in 1980. He won a U.S. Senate seat in 1984 following the retirement of longtime Democrat Jennings Randolph, and went on to serve 30 years in the Senate.
During his Senate tenure, he chaired the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. He championed consumers’ rights, backed efforts to upgrade broadband infrastructure, and sponsored a bill aimed at blocking companies from tracking customers’ online activity.
He authored legislation in 1997 that created the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which assists families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid. He also led Senate committees on Veterans’ Affairs and Intelligence and often sparred with President George W. Bush over foreign policy.
Rockefeller said he regretted his 2002 vote to authorize the war against Iraq. He also differed with the Obama administration on mining-related regulations, including opposition from West Virginia officials to the Environmental Protection Agency’s oversight of mountaintop removal.
Before retirement in 2015, Rockefeller said, “I could not imagine a more rewarding career.”
In a statement after his death, current Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Rockefeller helped shape the state and “left a lasting mark on the lives of generations of West Virginians,” adding that Rockefeller demonstrated a commitment to West Virginians through work in disadvantaged communities, efforts to strengthen healthcare, protect coal miners and support veterans.
In 2014, Rockefeller’s Senate seat went to Republican Shelley Moore Capito following his retirement. Capito said Rockefeller was “a true gentleman” who treated her with respect, kindness and encouragement, and that their friendship “transcended politics.”
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