Jay Rockefeller

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jay Rockefeller
Junior Senator from West Virginia
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 1985– Serving with Robert Byrd
Preceded by	Jennings Randolph
Succeeded by	Incumbent (2009)
Born	June 18, 1937 (age 69) New York, New York
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Sharon Percy Rockefeller
Religion	Presbyterian

John Davison Rockefeller IV (born June 18, 1937), generally known as Jay Rockefeller, has served as a Democratic U.S. Senator from West Virginia since 1985. He was Governor of West Virginia from 1977 to 1985. As a great-grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, he is the only current politician of the prominent six-generation Rockefeller family; and the only Democrat in what has been traditionally a staunchly Republican dynasty.^[1]

He is also related to several prominent Republican supporters and former officeholders: He is a great-grandson of Rhode Island Senator Nelson W. Aldrich, a nephew of David Rockefeller and Arkansas Governor Winthrop Rockefeller and of former U.S. Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller, and the son-in-law of former Senator Charles H. Percy of Illinois.

Contents 1 Early life, education, and family 2 West Virginia state politics 3 United States Senate 3.1 Senate Committee Assignments 4 Further reading 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Early life, education, and family

Born in New York City to John D. Rockefeller 3rd and Blanchette Ferry Hooker, Jay Rockefeller graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1954. He graduated from Harvard University in 1961 with a B.A. in Far Eastern Languages and History, after having spent three years studying Japanese at the International Christian University in Tokyo.

After college, Rockefeller worked for the Peace Corps in Washington, D.C., under Kennedy - where he developed a friendship with Robert Kennedy - and worked as an assistant to Sargent Shriver. He served as the operations director for their largest overseas program in the Philippines. He continued his public service in 1964–1965 as a VISTA volunteer, under Johnson, during which he moved to Emmons, West Virginia.

Rockefeller, along with his son Charles, is a trustee of New York's Asia Society, established by his father in 1956; he is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He voted against the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement, which was heavily backed by his uncle, David Rockefeller.

Since 1967, Rockefeller has been married to the former Sharon Percy, the chief executive officer of WETA, the leading PBS station in the Washington, D.C., area, which broadcasts such notable programs as "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" and "Washington Week."

Sharon is the daughter of former U.S. Senator Charles Percy of Illinois, who had an association with the Rockefeller family. Senator and Mrs. Rockefeller have four children: John D. Rockefeller V ("Jamie"), Valerie, Charles, and Justin. Jamie's wife Emily is the daughter of former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

The Rockefellers reside in Charleston, West Virginia. They also, like other members of the family, have a ranch in the Grand Teton National Park, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. President Clinton (a friend of Rockefeller) and his family spent their summer vacation, in August, 1995, at the ranch.[1]

[edit] West Virginia state politics

He was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1966, and to the office of West Virginia Secretary of State in 1968. He won the Democratic nomination for Governor in 1972, but was defeated in the general election by the Republican incumbent Governor Arch Moore. Rockefeller then served as president of West Virginia Wesleyan College from 1973 to 1976.

Rockefeller was elected Governor of West Virginia in 1976 and re-elected in 1980. He served as Governor during some of the state's darkest years, when manufacturing plants and coal mines were closing as the national recession of the early 1980s hit West Virginia particularly hard. Between 1982 and 1984, West Virginia's unemployment rate hovered between 15 and 20 percent.

[edit] United States Senate

In 1984, he was elected to the United States Senate, narrowly defeating businessman John Raese. As in his 1980 gubernatorial campaign against Arch Moore, Rockefeller spent over $12 million to win his Senate seat. He was re-elected in 1990, 1996 and 2002. He was chair of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs (1993–1995; January 3 to January 20, 2001, and June 6, 2001–January 3, 2003).

In April, 1992, he was the Democratic Party's finance chairman and considered running for the presidency but pulled out after consulting with his advisers. He went on to strongly endorse Bill Clinton as the Democratic candidate.[2]

He is Chairman of the prominent Senate Intelligence Committee from which he has raised a series of contentious issues on the war in Iraq.

By working aggressively, taking a long-term view and emphasizing the loyalty and work ethic of West Virginia's workers, Rockefeller has attracted national and international companies to the Mountain State.

In 1993 Rockefeller became the principal senate supporter, with Ted Kennedy, behind President Clinton and Hillary's sweeping health care reform package, liaising closely with Hillary, even opening up his mansion in Rock Creek Park for its first strategy meeting. The reform was subsequently defeated by an alliance between the Business Roundtable and a small-business coalition.^[2]

In 2002, Senator Rockefeller made an official visit to several Middle East countries, during which he discussed his personal views regarding United States military intentions with the leaders of those countries. In November 2005 during a TV interview, Rockefeller stated : "I took a trip ... in January of 2002 to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria, and I told each of the heads of state that it was my view that George Bush had already made up his mind to go to war against Iraq, that that was a predetermined set course which had taken shape shortly after 9/11." Rockefeller noted that this was his personal opinion, and that he was not privy to any confidential information indicating that such action was planned. [3] On October 11 of that year, he was one of 77 Senators who voted for the Iraq Resolution authorizing the Iraq invasion.

[edit] Senate Committee Assignments

As of 2007, Rockefeller serves on the following:

• Select Committee on Intelligence -- Chairman
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs
• Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
  • Subcommittee on Aviation
  • Subcommittee on Communications
  • Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space
  • Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marines
• Committee on Finance
  • Subcommittee on Health Care
  • Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy
• Joint Committee on Taxation
• United States Trade Advisor
• Senate Steel Caucus -- Co-Chairman

[edit] Further reading

• Jay Rockefeller: Old Money, New Politics, Richard Grimes, Parsons, West Virginia: McClain Printing Company, 1984.
• The System: The American Way of Politics at the Breaking Point, Haynes Johnson and David S. Broder, Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1996. (Significant mention)

[edit] See also

• Rockefeller family
• John D. Rockefeller 3rd
• David Rockefeller
• Asia Society
• Kykuit
• US Senate Report on chemical weapons Rockefeller chaired this committee.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Find more information on Jay Rockefeller by searching Wikipedia's sister projects
	Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary
	Textbooks from Wikibooks
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Images and media from Commons
	News stories from Wikinews
	Learning resources from Wikiversity

• United States Senator Jay Rockefeller official Senate site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Asia Society official website
• Federal Election Commission - John Davison Rockefeller IV campaign finance reports and data
• New York Times - John D. Rockefeller IV News ongoing collection of news stories and commentary
• On the Issues - Jay Rockefeller issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org - Jay Rockefeller campaign contributions
• Peace Corps biography of Jay Rockefeller
• Project Vote Smart - Senator John D. 'Jay' Rockefeller IV (WV) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia - John D. Rockefeller IV profile
• Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Jay Rockefeller voting record
• West Virginia Culture - John D. Rockefeller, IV biography
• Inaugural Address of John D. Rockefeller, IV (1977)
• Inaugural Address of John D. Rockefeller, IV (1981)

Articles

• Senator Outlines Plans For Intelligence Panel Rockefeller's agenda on becoming chairman in January, 2007.

Preceded by Unknown	West Virginia House of Delegates 1966–1968	Succeeded by Unknown
Preceded by Robert D. Bailey	West Virginia Secretary of State 1968–1972	Succeeded by Edgar F. Heiskell, III
Preceded by Dr. Stanley H. Martin	President of West Virginia Wesleyan College 1973–1976	Succeeded by Unknown
Preceded by Arch A. Moore, Jr.	Governor of West Virginia 1977–1985	Succeeded by Arch A. Moore, Jr.
Preceded by Jennings Randolph	United States Senator (Class 2) from West Virginia 1985- Served alongside: Robert Byrd	Succeeded by Incumbent

Governors of West Virginia
Boreman • Farnsworth • Stevenson • Jacob • Mathews • Jackson • Wilson • Fleming • MacCorkle • Atkinson • White • Dawson • Glasscock • Hatfield • Cornwell • Morgan • Gore • Conley • Kump • Holt • Neely • Meadows • Patteson • Marland • Underwood • Barron • Smith • Moore • Rockefeller • Moore • Caperton • Underwood • Wise • Manchin

United States Senators from West Virginia
Class 1: Van Winkle • Boreman • Caperton • Price • Hereford • Camden • Faulkner • Scott • Chilton • Sutherland • Neely • Hatfield • Holt • Kilgore • Laird • Revercomb • Byrd Class 2: Willey • Davis • Kenna • Camden • S Elkins • D Elkins • Watson • N Goff • D Elkins • G Goff • Neely • Rosier • Shott • Revercomb • Neely • Hoblitzell • Randolph • Rockefeller

West Virginia's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators: Robert Byrd (D), Jay Rockefeller (D) Representative(s): Alan B. Mollohan (D), Shelley Moore Capito (R), Nick Rahall (D) All delegations: Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands