Following Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller
Introduction: According to his website, Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (WV-D) was born on June 18, 1937. At seventy-five years old, he has served the people of West Virginia in various political positions for over 40 years, and announced in January that he will not be seeking reelection.
As you may have guessed by his name, Senator Rockefeller is the great-grandson of oil tycoon, John D. Rockefeller. He was born in New York City and attended preparatory school at Phillips Exeter Academy graduating in 1955. He spent three years studying Japanese at the International Christian University in Tokyo and went on to graduate with an A.B. in Far Eastern Languages and History from Harvard in 1961 (information also found on http://www.rollcall.com/members/538.html).
After serving in the Peace Corps and subsequently gaining friendship with Attorney General Robert Kennedy, Senator Rockefeller was assigned the position of Operations Director for the Corps' program in the Philippines in 1962. He returned home to begin a long career of public service by joining the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program in 1964. Placed in Emmons, West Virginia, Senator Rockefeller was tasked with improving conditions of the small mining community. His work during this period would gain him the confidence and support of the West Virginian people and give him his constituent base from which to launch a political career.
In 1966, Rockefeller was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates and in two short years he became West Virginia’s Secretary of State. Running for governor in 1972 he was defeated by Republican incumbent Arch Moore. Recouping from his in the gubernatorial race, Rockefeller took a break from politics to serve as the President of Wesleyan College from 1973-1976, but went on to become Governor of West Virginia in 1976. Having served most of his second term as governor, Jay Rockefeller was elected Senator of West Virginia winning a highly contested race against Republican John Raese in 1984. He has gone on to win four largely uncontested reelections and will retire from the Senate at the end of his current term (30 years in office).
He has served as the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee (retiring in January 2009) and is currently the Chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. He is known for his open criticism on the War in Iraq and is a primary supporter of nationalized health care legislation.
In 1967, Rockefeller married fellow Presbyterian, Sharon Percy Rockefeller (former Chief Executive Officer of WETA-TV and daughter of Senator Charles H. Percy). They have four children: John D. Rockefeller V (Jamie), Valerie, Charles, and Justin. They also have four granddaughters and two grandsons. Although Senator Rockefeller maintains permanent residence in Charleston, West Virginia, he and his family reside in Northwest Washington, DC.
State Facts: From the 2010 US census data, West Virginia has a population of 1,855,413 making it 37th in the nation. Major cities include its capitol Charleston and the city of Huntington. According to a 2011 Gallup poll, 75% of West Virginians are protestant. The economy of the state is based on agriculture and mining. Agricultural products include cattle, dairy products, poultry and apples. Industrial products include coal, primary metals, stone, clay, and glass.
Fun Facts: Jay Rockefeller is the only Democratic politician in a long family lineage of strong Republican political figures, and as Senator he voted against the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement which was heavily backed by his uncle David Rockefeller (read his reasoning here). During his first race for the Senate, he won his seat despite Ronald Regan securing the presidential electoral votes from West Virginia that same year. Rockefeller entertained the idea of running for the 1992 Presidential seat, but was advised to instead support candidate Bill Clinton and never ran for the Democratic nomination.
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