Former West Virginia Governor and longtime US Senator Jay Rockefeller has died at the age of 89. He passed away at his home in Washington, DC, on Thursday night, according to Mary Stewart, vice president for external affairs at public broadcasting station WETA.
Rockefeller was the last member of his family’s political dynasty and the only Democrat among them. Despite belonging to one of America’s wealthiest families, he dedicated nearly five decades to public service in West Virginia, one of the country’s poorest states.
He moved to the state in 1964 to work with an anti-poverty programme. His political career began in 1966 when he won a seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates as a Democrat, breaking away from his family’s Republican tradition.
Rockefeller later served as secretary of state, followed by two terms as governor. He then represented West Virginia in the US Senate for 30 years before retiring in 2015.
Reflecting on his career, Rockefeller once said, “I could not imagine a more rewarding career.”
