Former Governor & U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller Dies

November 6, 2026 3:13 pm

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — 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. He was 89. Rockefeller died Thursday night at his home in Washington. Rockefeller came from one of the nation’s richest families to spend a half century in public service in one of the poorest 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.  (Photo:  AP)