John D. “Jay” Rockefeller IV, a great-grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, died at 89, leaving a legacy as a liberal voice in Appalachia and American politics.
His family did not immediately disclose a cause, The Washington Post reported.
He died Friday at his home in Washington, said Mary Stewart, vice president for external affairs at WETA, the public broadcasting station where his wife, Sharon Percy Rockefeller, serves as CEO.
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A nephew of former New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, he was born in the Empire State and moved to West Virginia in the 1960s and joined Volunteers in Service to America, which shaped his political focus.
He served two terms as governor of West Virginia before winning election to the U.S. Senate in 1984 and serving five terms as a Democrat.
He announced in 2013 that he would not seek reelection.
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Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, his successor in the Senate, called him “a true gentleman” in a statement.
Ms. Capito is the daughter of Arch Moore, the Republican whom Mr. Rockefeller beat in 1980 and lost to in 1972.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey called Mr. Rockefeller’s career “remarkable,” citing his work on healthcare, coal miners and veterans.
Mr. Rockefeller was a prominent champion of expanding healthcare access, playing a major role in shaping the State Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997 and supporting major healthcare reform efforts, including the Affordable Care Act in 2010.
Though he voted in 2002 to authorize the use of force in Iraq, he later expressed regret and, as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized President George W. Bush’s administration over the intelligence used to justify the 2003 invasion.
His great-grandfather, John Davison Rockefeller Sr., was an American industrialist, business magnate and philanthropist who founded Standard Oil Co. in 1870.
Standard Oil grew to control roughly 90% of U.S. refining.
John D. Rockefeller Sr. is widely considered America’s first billionaire.
John D. Rockefeller III, Jay Rockefeller’s father, was a famous philanthropist. Jay’s uncles Winthrop and Nelson served as Republican governors of Arkansas and New York, and another uncle, David, ran Chase Manhattan Bank.
He broke with his family’s Republican tradition after moving to West Virginia and was elected to the state House of Delegates as a Democrat in 1966.
Yet he didn’t support the Obama administration on coal, opposing the EPA’s oversight of mountaintop removal mining.
Jay Rockefeller was the last member of his family’s political dynasty.
He is survived by his wife, the daughter of former Republican Sen. Charles Percy of Illinois.
The couple has four children and nine grandchildren, The Post reported.
Jay Rockefeller used an inherited fortune of about $150 million and spent at least $21 million of his own money on campaigns, including $9 million in the 1984 Senate race, The Associated Press reported.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
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