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

Jay Rockefeller, the last member of his family’s political dynasty and its only Democrat, has died at 89. He passed away Thursday night at his home in Washington, D.C., according to Mary Stewart, vice president for external affairs at WETA.

Rockefeller served as governor of West Virginia for two terms and then spent 30 years as a U.S. senator. He arrived in the state in 1964 as a worker in an anti-poverty program and was elected governor about twelve years later.

“It explains every policy I pursued and every vote I have cast. It was where my beliefs were bolted down, and where my passions met my principles.”

Born John D. Rockefeller IV in New York City, he came from one of the nation’s wealthiest families. His great-grandfather was Standard Oil founder John Rockefeller, and his father, John D. Rockefeller III, was a well-known philanthropist.

His uncles included Republican governors Winthrop of Arkansas and Nelson of New York, while another uncle, David Rockefeller, led Chase Manhattan Bank. Rockefeller broke from his family’s Republican tradition to pursue a Democratic career.

He moved to the mining community of Emmons at age 27 to join the Volunteers in Service to America program. Rockefeller later said that experience shaped every policy he pursued and every vote he cast.

Rockefeller was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1966 after overcoming suspicions of political opportunism. He rose from state legislator to secretary of state before becoming governor.

His only political defeat came in the 1972 governor’s race against Republican Arch A. Moore Jr.