Jay Rockefeller

Jay Rockefeller
United States Senator from West Virginia
In office January 15, 1985 – January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Jennings Randolph
Succeeded by	Shelley Moore Capito
Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee
In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2015
Preceded by	Daniel Inouye
Succeeded by	John Thune
Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009
Preceded by	Pat Roberts
Succeeded by	Dianne Feinstein
Chair of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Arlen Specter
Succeeded by	Arlen Specter
In office January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001
Preceded by	Arlen Specter
Succeeded by	Arlen Specter
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1995
Preceded by	Alan Cranston
Succeeded by	Alan Simpson
29th Governor of West Virginia
In office January 17, 1977 – January 14, 1985
Preceded by	Arch A. Moore Jr.
Succeeded by	Arch A. Moore Jr.
22nd Secretary of State of West Virginia
In office January 13, 1969 – January 15, 1973
Governor	Arch Moore
Preceded by	Robert D. Bailey Jr.
Succeeded by	Edgar Heiskell
Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
In office 1966–1968
Personal details
Born	John Davison Rockefeller IV (1937-06-18) June 18, 1937 (age 87) New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (1966–present)
Other political affiliations	Republican (before 1966)
Spouse(s)	Sharon Percy ​ (m. 1967)​
Children	4, including Justin
Parents	John D. Rockefeller III Blanchette Ferry Hooker
Relatives	See Rockefeller family
Education	Harvard University (BA) International Christian University Yale University
Signature

John D. Rockefeller IV (born June 18, 1937) is a retired American Democratic politician. He served as a United States senator of West Virginia from 1985 to 2015.^[1] Before becoming a U.S. Senator, he was Governor of West Virginia from 1977 to 1985.

In April 1992, he was the Democratic Party's finance chairman. He considered running for president, but decided not to after asking friends and advisors. He went on to strongly endorse Bill Clinton as the Democratic candidate.^[2]

He is the great-grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller. He is the only member of the Rockefeller family who was a government official to not be a Republican as the family dynasty are mostly left-wing Republicans.

He accused President Obama's critics of racism.^[3]

On January 11, 2013, Rockefeller announced that he would not seek reelection for the United States Senate in 2014.^[4]

References

1. "Jay Rockefeller". Archived from the original on 2005-12-23. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
2. By R. W. Apple Jr. (1992-04-10). "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: The Front-Runner; Like Voters, Superdelegates Have Doubts About Clinton". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
3. "Sen. Jay Rockefeller plays the race card". www.cbsnews.com.
4. Weiner, Rachel (2013-01-11). "Jay Rockefeller won't run in 2014". Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-09-21.