Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia Senator and Governor, Dies at 89
The former Democrat spent five decades in public service, using his family’s vast wealth to shape policy in the Appalachian state.
By Peter Graham ·
Jay Rockefeller, who spent five decades in public service in West Virginia, died at age 89 on Thursday night. He was the only Democrat in his family’s long political lineage and served as the state’s governor before becoming a U.S. senator. Mary Stewart, vice president for external affairs at WETA, confirmed that Rockefeller passed away at his home in Washington, D.C.
Rockefeller arrived in West Virginia in 1964 as a 27-year-old participant in the Volunteers in Service to America program. He moved to the mining community of Emmons to work in an anti-poverty effort. He described this period as the foundation for his political beliefs, noting that it defined the policies he would pursue for the rest of his career.
He broke from his family’s Republican tradition by running for the state House of Delegates as a Democrat in 1966. He won election to that body and later served as secretary of state. He lost the 1972 gubernatorial race to Republican Arch A. Moore Jr. but remained in the state, a decision he later called the most important of his career.
In 1973, Rockefeller became the first person without a theological degree to lead West Virginia Wesleyan College. He won the 1976 governor’s race in a landslide after shifting his stance to support strip mining. As governor, he focused on infrastructure projects, including roads, sewers, and bridges, which he described as necessary but unglamorous work for the state.
Rockefeller defeated Moore in a 1980 rematch and secured a U.S. Senate seat in 1984 following the retirement of Jennings Randolph. He served five terms in the Senate, winning by comfortable margins in each election. He spent at least $21 million of his personal wealth on his political campaigns, including $9 million to win a close 1984 race against Republican John Raese.
During his time in Washington, Rockefeller chaired the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. He sponsored legislation that created the Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997. He also worked to block companies from tracking customers’ online activity and championed the upgrade of broadband infrastructure. He frequently clashed with the Bush administration on foreign policy and opposed certain Obama-era environmental regulations on mountaintop removal mining.
Rockefeller helped bring a Toyota engine parts plant to Buffalo, West Virginia, in 1996. The $2 billion facility now employs approximately 2,200 workers. He had studied in Tokyo and maintained a relationship with Toyota’s founding family since the 1960s. His wife, Sharon, serves as the president and CEO of WETA.
Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican senator and daughter of Rockefeller’s 1972 opponent, called Rockefeller a true gentleman in a statement on Friday. Current Governor Patrick Morrisey said Rockefeller left a lasting mark on the state. He noted that Rockefeller demonstrated a deep commitment to West Virginians through his work in disadvantaged communities, healthcare efforts, and support for veterans and coal miners.
