Jay Rockefeller, former West Virginia governor and US senator, dies at 89

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Jay Rockefeller, the last member of his family’s political dynasty and the only Democrat to serve as West Virginia’s governor and a longtime U.S. senator, has died at the age of 89. Born John D. Rockefeller IV in New York City, Rockefeller came from one of the wealthiest families in the nation to dedicate a half-century of public service in the state of West Virginia, which has historically been one of the poorest in the country.

Rockefeller began his public service journey in 1964 as a worker in an anti-poverty program. He was elected governor of West Virginia a dozen years later, serving two terms before spending 30 years as a U.S. senator. Upon his retirement in 2015, Rockefeller declared that his career was "the most rewarding" he could have imagined.

Born into a family of philanthropists, Rockefeller’s great-grandfather, John Rockefeller, passed away just a month before his birth. His father, John D. Rockefeller III, was a well-known philanthropist, and his uncles Winthrop and Nelson were Republican governors. Another uncle, David Rockefeller, served as the president of Chase Manhattan Bank.

Rockefeller moved to West Virginia’s mining community of Emmons at the age of 27, participating in the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program, which he later credited for shaping his beliefs and principles. After serving in the West Virginia House of Delegates as a Democrat, he went on to become the state’s governor in 1976, defeating Republican Arch A. Moore Jr., whose daughter would later become his Senate successor, Republican Shelley Moore Capito.

In his tenure as governor, Rockefeller focused on developing the state’s infrastructure, including roads, sewers, and bridges. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984 after the retirement of long-serving Democrat Jennings Randolph, despite a significant Republican victory in the presidential election that year. Rockefeller’s wealth, which included an estimated $150 million fortune, was often a topic of discussion in his political races, with opponents accusing him of spending his own money on campaigns.