Jay Rockefeller, a former Democratic governor and senator of West Virginia, has died at age 89.
The former politician died at his home in Washington, D.C., on Friday. His family did not provide a cause of death.
Rockefeller was a champion of healthcare, tax reform, social welfare, and national security during his decadeslong political career. He was the governor of West Virginia from 1977 to 1985 before working in the Senate for five terms from 1985 to 2015.
Rockefeller is a descendant of billionaire industrialist John Rockefeller, who became one of the wealthiest Americans of all time after founding the Standard Oil Company in 1870.
FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER DENNIS HASTERT DIES AT 84
After graduating from Harvard University in 1961 and coming to West Virginia in 1964 as a Volunteers in Service to America worker, Rockefeller was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1966 and to the secretary of state’s office in 1968. He lost his first gubernatorial race in 1972, but he won the governor’s office four years later.
During his tenure in the Senate, Rockefeller helped pass a 1992 law that preserved healthcare coverage for retired coal miners and their families. He also worked to build bipartisan support for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which then-President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1997 to expand coverage for uninsured children.
Continue reading...
[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
