Former Senator, Governor Jay Rockefeller Dies at 89

Former West Virginia governor and U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller died Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, at his home in Washington, D.C. He was 89. His family did not disclose a cause of death. He was governor from 1977 to 1985 and represented West Virginia in the Senate for 30 years, from 1985 to 2015. In 2013 he announced he would not seek re-election. Born in Manhattan, he was a great-grandson of Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller Sr. He arrived in Emmons in 1964 as a VISTA volunteer, later serving in the House of Delegates, as secretary of state, and as president of West Virginia Wesleyan College. He helped write CHIP, signed into law in 1997, supported the Affordable Care Act, and chaired the Senate Intelligence and Commerce committees. In a 2004 Charleston Gazette interview he said of his Iraq vote, "If I had known then what I know now, I would have voted against it," adding that the intelligence "was shaped." Gov. Patrick Morrisey said West Virginia lost a man who "devoted much of his life to serving our state and its people," and that his service deserves "respect and gratitude." Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said he was "a true gentleman" and their friendship "transcended politics." No factual disputes appear in the record.