Jay Rockefeller, former West Virginia governor and US senator, dies at 89
Jay Rockefeller, the last member of his family’s political dynasty who served as West Virginia’s governor and later a longtime U.S. senator, has died
CHARLESTON, W.Va. --
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who → die → governor
Jay Rockefeller, the last member of his family’s political dynasty — and the only Democrat — who served as West Virginia’s governor and later a longtime U.S. senator, has died.
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who → serve → governor
Rockefeller died Thursday night at his home in Washington, said Mary Stewart, vice president for external affairs at WETA, the public broadcasting station where Rockefeller’s wife, Sharon, serves as president and CEO.
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wife → die → president
Rockefeller came from one of the nation’s richest families to spend a half century in public service in one of the poorest states.
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Rockefeller → come → states
He arrived in 1964 as a worker in an anti-poverty program, was elected governor a dozen years later and served two terms, then spent 30 years as a U.S. senator.
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He → arrive → senator
“I could not imagine a more rewarding career,” Rockefeller said upon his retirement in 2015.
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Rockefeller → imagine → 2015
He was born John D. Rockefeller IV in New York City.
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He → bear → City
His great-grandfather, Standard Oil Co. founder John Rockefeller, died a month before Rockefeller’s birth.
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grandfather → die → birth
His father, John D. Rockefeller III, was a well-known philanthropist.
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father → know → ?
Another uncle, David Rockefeller, ran Chase Manhattan Bank.
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uncle → run → Bank
Jay Rockefeller went in a different direction.
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Rockefeller → go → direction
A few years out of college at age 27, Rockefeller moved to the West Virginia mining community of Emmons to participate in the Volunteers in Service to America program, a time that Rockefeller said proved transformative.
“It explains every policy I pursued and every vote I have cast.
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I → move → policy
It was where my beliefs were bolted down, and where my passions met my principles,” he said in an emotional farewell speech from the Senate floor on Dec. 4, 2014.
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he → bolt → Dec.
While he intended for his stay in the state to be brief, Rockefeller broke from his family’s Republican tradition and was elected to the state House of Delegates as a Democrat in 1966.
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Rockefeller → intend → 1966
By combining money with hard work in a traditionally Democratic state, Rockefeller overcame suspicions of political opportunism and rose from state legislator to secretary of state to governor.
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Rockefeller → combine → governor
A turning point came after Rockefeller’s only political defeat in the 1972 governor’s race to Republican Arch A. Moore Jr., whose daughter, Republican Shelley Moore Capito, was elected in 2014 to Rockefeller’s Senate seat upon his retirement.
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daughter → come → retirement
Capito on Friday called Rockefeller “a true gentleman" who treated her with respect, kindness and encouragement.
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who → call → respect
“Over the years, we developed a wonderful friendship that transcended politics, and I will always be grateful for that,” she said in a statement.
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she → develop → statement
After the defeat, Rockefeller remained in West Virginia, a decision he called the most important of his career.
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he → remain → career
He became the first without a theological degree to become president of West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1973.
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He → become → 1973
His popularity there — and a change in his stance to embrace strip mining — translated to a landslide win over Republican Cecil Underwood in the 1976 governor’s race.
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popularity → embrace → race
As governor, Rockefeller emphasized development of the state’s infrastructure, such as roads, sewers and bridges.
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Rockefeller → emphasize → roads
Those issues, he said, are “not very sexy things, I grant you but very, very necessary in West Virginia.”
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I → say → Virginia
Current Gov. Patrick Morrissey said Rockefeller helped shape the state and left a lasting mark on the lives of generations of West Virginians.
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Rockefeller → say → Virginians
“From his early work in some of our state’s most disadvantaged communities to his efforts to strengthen healthcare, protect coal miners and their families, and support our veterans, Senator Rockefeller demonstrated a deep commitment to the people of West Virginia,” Morrissey said in a statement.
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Morrissey → strengthen → statement
After Rockefeller defeated Arch Moore in a rematch in 1980, he won a U.S. Senate seat in 1984 after the retirement of longtime Democrat Jennings Randolph.
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he → defeat → Randolph
It came despite a landslide victory that year for Republican President Ronald Reagan.
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It → come → Reagan
Rockefeller and his wife, Sharon, daughter of former Republican Sen. Charles Percy of Illinois, fit easily into the capital’s social scene, purchasing a multimillion-dollar estate for their family.
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Rockefeller → fit → family
Never shy or apologetic about using his inherited $150 million fortune to win his races, he spent millions upon millions from his own pocket.
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he → use → pocket
He won by comfortable margins in each of his five terms.
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He → win → terms
He spent at least $21 million of his own money in his political campaigns, including $9 million to win a close 1984 Senate race against Republican novice and fellow multimillionaire John Raese.
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He → spend → Raese
In Rockefeller’s 1980 gubernatorial race against Republican Arch Moore Jr., bumper stickers appeared saying: “Make Him Spend It All, Arch.”
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Him → appear → It
The state’s junior senator for 25 years, Rockefeller carved his own path of influence in Sen. Robert C. Byrd’s immense shadow.
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Rockefeller → carve → shadow
Byrd died in 2010 as the longest-serving senator in U.S. history, winning an enduring reputation for steering billions of dollars over many decades to boost his impoverished state.
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Byrd → die → state
As chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, he championed consumers’ rights, upgrading broadband infrastructure and sponsoring a bill to block companies from tracking online activity of their customers.
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he → champion → customers
He authored legislation in 1997 that created the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which assists poor families whose incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid.
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incomes → author → Medicaid
He also was head of committees on Veterans' Affairs and Intelligence, frequently sparring with President George W. Bush over foreign policy.
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He → spar → policy
Rockefeller said he regretted his 2002 vote to authorize the war against Iraq.
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he → say → Iraq
But Rockefeller also differed with the Democratic administration of President Barack Obama over mining-related regulations.
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Rockefeller → differ → regulations
With his state the nation’s second-biggest coal producer, Rockefeller was among several West Virginia officials who opposed the Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency’s oversight of the mountaintop removal method of surface mining.
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who → oppose → mining
…and 4 more, not listed.
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