Former WV US Sen. Rockefeller, ‘a compassionate, decent, and true leader,’ dies at 89

By: Lori Kersey, Henry Culvyhouse

Outlets: West Virginia Watch

Published: November 6, 2026

Words: 1,602

Last Updated: 3 days, 3 hours ago

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Jay Rockefeller, a former West Virginia governor and a five-term U.S. senator representing the state, died Friday at the age of 89.

A native of New York and heir to the Rockefeller family fortune, Rockefeller first came to West Virginia as an anti-poverty worker in 1964. He was elected to the House of Delegates in 1966 and to secretary of state in 1968, according to his biography with the …

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