Editing Jay Rockefeller

{{short description|American politician (born 1937)}}
{{redirect|Senator Rockefeller|the Washington State Senate member|Phil Rockefeller}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Jay Rockefeller
| image               = Jay Rockefeller official photo.jpg
| jr/sr               = United States Senator
| state               = [[West Virginia]]
| term_start          = January 15, 1985
| term_end            = January 3, 2015
| predecessor         = [[Jennings Randolph]]
| successor           = [[Shelley Moore Capito]]
{{Collapsed infobox section begin|Senate positions|titlestyle=border: 1px dashed lightgrey;}}
{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
| office1             = Chair of the [[United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation|Senate Commerce Committee]]
| term_start1         = January 3, 2009
| term_end1           = January 3, 2015
| predecessor1        = [[Daniel Inouye]]
| successor1          = [[John Thune]]
| office2             = Chair of the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|Senate Intelligence Committee]]
| term_start2         = January 3, 2007
| term_end2           = January 3, 2009
| predecessor2        = [[Pat Roberts]]
| successor2          = [[Dianne Feinstein]]
| office3             = Chair of the [[United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs|Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee]]
| term_start3         = June 6, 2001
| term_end3           = January 3, 2003
| predecessor3        = [[Arlen Specter]]
| successor3          = Arlen Specter
| term_start4         = January 3, 2001
| term_end4           = January 20, 2001
| predecessor4        = Arlen Specter
| successor4          = Arlen Specter
| term_start5         = January 3, 1993
| term_end5           = January 3, 1995
| predecessor5        = [[Alan Cranston]]
| successor5          = [[Alan Simpson (American politician)|Alan Simpson]]
}}
{{Collapsed infobox section end}}
| order6              = 29th [[Governor of West Virginia]]
| term_start6         = January 17, 1977
| term_end6           = January 14, 1985
| predecessor6        = [[Arch A. Moore Jr.]]
| successor6          = Arch A. Moore Jr.
| office7             = 22nd [[Secretary of State of West Virginia]]
| governor7           = Arch A. Moore Jr.
| term_start7         = January 13, 1969
| term_end7           = January 15, 1973
| predecessor7        = [[Robert D. Bailey Jr.]]
| successor7          = [[Hike Heiskell]]
| office8             = Member of the<br> [[West Virginia House of Delegates]]<br>from [[Kanawha County, West Virginia|Kanawha County]]
| term_start8         = December 1, 1966
| term_end8           = December 1, 1968
| birth_name          = John Rockefeller<ref name="West Virginia Public Broadcasting, 2016">{{cite AV media |people= |date=June 21, 2015|title=Jay: A Rockefeller's Journey |trans-title= |type=Television production |language= |url=https://www.pbs.org/show/jay-a-rockefellers-journey/ |access-date=July 4, 2024 |format= |time= |location= |publisher=[[PBS]] |id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote=My birth certificate says John Rockefeller... I wrote my grandfather and asked [him for] permission to change my name to John D. Rockefeller IV}}</ref>
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1937|6|18}}
| birth_place         = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] (1966–present)
| otherparty          = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] (before 1966)
| spouse              = {{marriage|[[Sharon Percy Rockefeller|Sharon Percy]]|1967}}
| children            = {{hlist|John D. Rockefeller V|[[Valerie Rockefeller Wayne|Valerie]]|Charles|[[Justin Aldrich Rockefeller|Justin]]}}
| education           = [[Harvard University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br />[[International Christian University]]<br />[[Yale University]]
| parents             = [[John D. Rockefeller III|John Davison Rockefeller III]]<br />[[Blanchette Ferry Hooker]]
| relatives           = See [[Rockefeller family]]
| signature           = Jay Rockefeller Signature.svg
| predecessor8        = {{Collapsible list
 | title = 12 members
 | Jesse S. Barker
 | J.F. Bedell
 | Thomas L. Black
 | Pat Board
 | Kelly L. Castleberry
 | Kenneth L. Coghill
 | Charles C. Dunaway
 | James E. Kessinger
 | Thomas A. Knight
 | James W. Loop
 | [[Jack L. Pauley]]
 | Fred Scott
}}
| successor8          = {{Collapsible list
 | title = 4 members
 | J. Dempsey Gibson
 | Phillis J. Rutledge
 | Sam C. Savilla
 | Harlan Wilson
}}
| module              = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Opening Statement of Sen. Jay Rockefeller at a Senate Intelligence Committee Hearing on Patriot Act Reauthorization.ogg|title=Jay Rockefeller's voice|type=speech|description=Jay Rockefeller speaks at a [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|Senate Intelligence Committee]] hearing on reauthorizing the [[Patriot Act]]<br/>Recorded April 27, 2005}}
}}
'''John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV''' (born June 18, 1937) is an American retired politician who served as a [[United States Senate|United States senator]] from [[West Virginia]] (1985–2015). He was first elected to the Senate in 1984, while in office as [[List of governors of West Virginia|governor of West Virginia]] (1977–1985). Rockefeller moved to [[Emmons, West Virginia]], to serve as a [[Volunteers in Service to America|VISTA]] worker in 1964 and was first elected to public office as a member of the [[West Virginia House of Delegates]] (1966–1968). Rockefeller was later elected [[Secretary of State of West Virginia|secretary of state of West Virginia]] (1968–1973) and was president of [[West Virginia Wesleyan College]] (1973–1975). He became the state's senior U.S. senator when the long-serving Senator [[Robert Byrd]] died in June 2010.

Rockefeller is a great-grandson of oil [[business magnate|tycoon]] [[John D. Rockefeller]], who died less than a month before Jay's birth. He was the only serving politician of the Rockefeller family during his tenure in the [[United States Senate]], and the only one to have held office as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], in what has been a [[Rockefeller Republican|traditionally]] [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] family (though he too was originally a Republican until he decided to run for office in the [[Politics of West Virginia|then-heavily Democratic state]]).<ref>Only Democrat in a staunchly Republican dynasty{{spaced ndash}}see {{cite book |first1=John Ensor |last1=Harr |first2=Peter J. |last2=Johnson |title=The Rockefeller Century: Three Generations of America's Greatest Family |location=New York |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |year=1988 |page=[https://archive.org/details/rockefellercentu00harr/page/394 394] |isbn=0-684-18936-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/rockefellercentu00harr/page/394 }}</ref> Rockefeller did not seek reelection in [[2014 United States Senate election in West Virginia|2014]] and was succeeded by Republican [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] [[Shelley Moore Capito]].<ref name=WAPOjan11>{{cite news |last = Weiner | first = Rachel | title = Jay Rockefeller won't run in 2014 | newspaper = Washington Post | date = January 11, 2013 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/01/11/jay-rockefeller-wont-run-in-2014/ | access-date = September 21, 2013 }}</ref>

==Early life and education==
John Davison Rockefeller IV was born at [[Weill Cornell Medical Center|New York Hospital]] in [[Manhattan]] to [[John D. Rockefeller III|John Davison Rockefeller III]] (1906–1978) and [[Blanchette Ferry Rockefeller|Blanchette Ferry Hooker]] (1909–1992), 26 days after the death of his patrilineal great-grandfather, [[John D. Rockefeller]] (1839–1937). He is a grandson of [[John D. Rockefeller Jr.]] Jay graduated from [[Phillips Exeter Academy]] in 1955. After his junior year at [[Harvard College]], he spent three years studying Japanese at the [[International Christian University]] in Tokyo.<ref name="people.com">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20085411,00.html |title=Jay Rockefeller |magazine=People |date=July 4, 1983 |first1=Cable |last1=Neuhaus |first2=Peter |last2=Carlson |access-date=September 23, 2014 }}</ref> He graduated from Harvard in 1961 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Far Eastern languages and history. He attended [[Yale University]] and did graduate work in Oriental studies and studied the Chinese language.<ref name="people.com"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockefeller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=b63f2b0e-06f3-4fda-90ac-6084b102644c |title=ROCKEFELLER TO ACCOMPANY CLINTON TO CHINA |publisher=rockefeller.senate.gov |date=June 19, 1998 |access-date=September 23, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140919104126/http://www.rockefeller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=b63f2b0e-06f3-4fda-90ac-6084b102644c |archive-date=September 19, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="wvculture"/>

After college, Rockefeller worked for the [[Peace Corps]] in Washington, D.C., under President [[John F. Kennedy]], where he developed a friendship with Attorney General [[Robert F. Kennedy]] and worked as an assistant to Peace Corps Director [[Sargent Shriver]]. He served as the operations director for the Corps' largest overseas program, in the [[Philippines]]. He worked for a brief time in the [[Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs]].<ref name="wvculture">{{cite web |url=http://www.wvculture.org/history/jayrock.html |title=John Davison Rockefeller, IV |work=West Virginia Division of Culture and History |access-date=September 23, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222165226/http://www.wvculture.org/history/jayrock.html |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> He continued his public service in 1964–1965 in the [[Volunteers in Service to America]] (VISTA), under President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], during which time he moved to [[Emmons, West Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wvgazettemail.com/dailymailwv/daily_mail_features/jay-rockefeller-wv-toyota-plant-is-a-dream-realized-daily/article_efd1ea68-3c06-58aa-9f3e-3f604fb57cb0.html|title=Jay Rockefeller: WV Toyota plant is a dream realized (Daily Mail WV)|first=Sen. Jay|last=Rockefeller|website=wvgazettemail.com|date=July 19, 2018 |access-date=7 September 2018}}</ref>

==Career==

=== State politics ===
[[File:Jay Rockefeller giving a speech aboard the USS Stump, July 2, 1984.JPEG|thumb|left|150px|Governor Rockefeller giving a speech aboard [[USS Stump (DD-978)|USS ''Stump'']], July 1984]]
Rockefeller was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1966. During his tenure, in the summer of 1968, after [[Robert F. Kennedy|Robert Kennedy]]'s assassination, his uncle [[Nelson Rockefeller]], governor of New York, offered him to take up the Senator's seat. He would ultimately refuse.

He was later elected to the office of [[West Virginia Secretary of State]] in 1968. He won the Democratic nomination for governor in [[1972 West Virginia gubernatorial election|1972]] but was defeated in the general election by the Republican incumbent, [[Arch A. Moore Jr.]] Rockefeller then served as president of [[West Virginia Wesleyan College]] from 1973 to 1975.

Rockefeller was elected [[governor of West Virginia]] in [[1976 West Virginia gubernatorial election|1976]] and re-elected in [[1980 West Virginia gubernatorial election|1980]]. He served as governor 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.

=== U.S. Senate ===

==== Elections ====
In [[1984 United States Senate election in West Virginia|1984]], he was elected to the United States Senate, narrowly defeating businessman [[John Raese]] as [[Ronald Reagan]] easily carried the state in the [[1984 United States presidential election in West Virginia|presidential election]]. As in his 1980 gubernatorial campaign against Arch Moore, Rockefeller spent over $12 million to win a Senate seat. He was re-elected in [[1990 United States Senate election in West Virginia|1990]], [[1996 United States Senate election in West Virginia|1996]], [[2002 United States Senate election in West Virginia|2002]] and [[2008 United States Senate election in West Virginia|2008]] by substantial margins. He was chair of the [[U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs|Committee on Veterans' Affairs]] (1993–1995; January 3 to 20, 2001; and June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003). Rockefeller was the chair of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (2009–2015).

[[File:Photograph of Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller during his Senate Swearing-In Ceremony.jpg|thumb|Surrounded by colleagues Robert C. Byrd, Bob Dole, Strom Thurmond and Jennings Randolph, Vice President George H.W. Bush administers the oath of office for Rockefeller in January 1985]]

==== Overview ====
In April 1992, he was the Democratic Party's finance chairman and considered running for the presidency, but pulled out after consulting with friends and advisers. He went on to strongly endorse [[Bill Clinton]] as the Democratic nominee.<ref>{{cite news|author=R. W. Apple Jr. |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE1DA133FF933A25757C0A964958260 |title=THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: The Front-Runner; Like Voters, Superdelegates Have Doubts About Clinton |newspaper=New York Times |date=April 10, 1992 |access-date=July 13, 2010}}</ref>

He chaired the prominent Senate [[U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|Intelligence Committee]] (retiring in January 2009), from which he commented frequently on the [[war in Iraq]].

In 1993, Rockefeller became the principal Senate supporter, with [[Ted Kennedy]], behind Bill and [[Hillary Clinton]]'s [[Clinton health care plan of 1993|sweeping health care reform package]], liaising closely with the [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]], opening up his mansion next to 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.<ref>The Clintons and health care reform{{spaced ndash}}see {{cite book |first1=Haynes |last1=Johnson |first2=David S. |last2=Broder |title=The System: The American Way of Politics at the Breaking Point |location=Boston |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |year=1996 |isbn=0-316-46969-6 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/systemamericanwa00john/page/32 32–34, 50, 227] |url=https://archive.org/details/systemamericanwa00john/page/32 }}</ref>

In 2002, Rockefeller made an official visit to several Middle Eastern countries, during which he discussed his personal views regarding United States military intentions with the leaders of those countries. In October of that year, Rockefeller strongly expressed his concern for [[Saddam Hussein]]'s alleged [[weapons of mass destruction]] program while addressing the U.S. Senate:

{{blockquote|There has been some debate over how "imminent" a threat Iraq poses. I do believe that Iraq poses an imminent threat, but I also believe that after [[September 11 attacks|September 11]], that question is increasingly outdated. It is in the nature of these weapons, and the way they are targeted against civilian populations, that documented capability and demonstrated intent may be the only warning we get. To insist on further evidence could put some of our fellow Americans at risk. Can we afford to take that chance? We cannot!<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web | title = Statement of Senator John D. Rockefeller IV on the Senate Floor On the Iraq Resolution  | work = senate.gov | date = October 10, 2002 | url = https://www.senate.gov/~rockefeller/news/2002/flrstmt0102002.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20031203132544/https://www.senate.gov/~rockefeller/news/2002/flrstmt0102002.html | archive-date = December 3, 2003}}[ ]</ref>}}

In November 2005 during a TV interview, Rockefeller stated,

<blockquote>I took a trip ... in January 2002 to [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Jordan]] and [[Syria]], and I told each of the heads of state that it was my view that [[George W. Bush|George Bush]] had already made up his mind to go to war against Iraq, that that was a predetermined set course that had taken shape shortly after 9/11.</blockquote>

Rockefeller noted that the comment expresses his personal opinion, and that he was not privy to any confidential information that such action was planned.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,175433,00.html |title=Transcript: Sens. Roberts, Rockefeller on 'FNS' - FOX News Sunday |publisher=FOXNews.com |date=November 14, 2005 |access-date=July 13, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031125157/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,175433,00.html |archive-date=October 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> On October 11, 2002, he was one of 77 senators who voted for the [[Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002|Iraq Resolution]] authorizing the Iraq invasion.

In February 2010, regarding President Obama, Rockefeller said,

<blockquote>He says 'I'm for clean coal,' and then he says it in his speeches, but he doesn't say it in here ... And he doesn't say it in the minds of my own people. And he's beginning to not be believable to me.</blockquote>

Rockefeller faced criticism from West Virginia coal companies, which claimed that he was out of touch.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Raby|first1=John|last2=Smith|first2=Vicki|title=Jay Rockefeller Retiring: West Virginia Senator Won't Run Again When Term Ends In 2014|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/11/jay-rockefeller-resigns_n_2455812.html|access-date=August 15, 2014|work=Huffington Post|date=January 11, 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Carte Goodwin with Jay Rockefeller.jpg|right|thumb|Rockefeller with fellow West Virginia Senator [[Carte Goodwin]]]]

Rockefeller became the senior [[United States Senate|U.S. senator]] from West Virginia when Robert Byrd died in June 2010, after serving in the senate with Rockefeller for 25 years.

In July 2011 Rockefeller was prominent in calling for U.S. agencies to investigate whether alleged [[News International phone hacking scandal|phone hacking]] at [[News Corporation]]'s newspapers in the United Kingdom had targeted American victims of the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-13/sen-jay-rockefeller-seeks-u-s-agency-probes-of-news-corp-phone-hacking.html|title=Sen. Jay Rockefeller Seeks U.S. Agency Probes of News Corp. Phone Hacking|access-date=July 23, 2011|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|date=July 13, 2011|first=Anthony|last=Palazzo}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8642432/Phone-hacking-Rupert-Murdochs-US-woes-develop-legs.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8642432/Phone-hacking-Rupert-Murdochs-US-woes-develop-legs.html |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Phone hacking: Rupert Murdoch's US woes develop legs|access-date=July 23, 2011|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=July 17, 2011|location=London|first=Richard|last=Blackden}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Rockefeller and [[Barbara Boxer]] subsequently wrote to the oversight committee of [[Dow Jones & Company]] (a subsidiary of News Corporation) to request that it conduct an investigation into the hiring of former CEO [[Les Hinton]], and whether any current or former executives had knowledge of or played a role in phone hacking.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8651236/Phone-hacking-US-senators-increase-pressure-on-Les-Hinton.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8651236/Phone-hacking-US-senators-increase-pressure-on-Les-Hinton.html |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Phone hacking: US senators increase pressure on Les Hinton|access-date=July 23, 2011|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=July 21, 2011|location=London|first=Alex|last=Spillius}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUS212821080920110720|title=Senators Call for Dow Jones Inquiry|access-date=July 23, 2011|work=Reuters|date=July 20, 2011}}</ref>

He announced on January 11, 2013, that he would not run for a sixth term.<ref name=WAPOjan11 /> On March 25, 2013, Rockefeller announced his support for [[gay marriage]].<ref>{{cite web |last = Parnass | first = Sarah | title = Senators Abandon 'Discriminatory' DOMA Before Supreme Court Arguments | work = abcnews.go.com | publisher = ABC News | date = March 25, 2013 | url = https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/03/senators-abandon-discriminatory-doma-before-supreme-court-arguments/ | access-date = September 21, 2013 }}</ref>

In November 2014, Rockefeller donated his senatorial archives to the West Virginia University Libraries and the [[West Virginia & Regional History Center]].<ref>{{cite web|title=WVU announces new school, gallery honoring Jay Rockefeller as his senatorial archives find 'forever home'|url=http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2014/11/08/wvu-announces-new-school-gallery-honoring-jay-rockefeller-as-his-senatorial-archives-find-forever-home|website=WVU Today|publisher=West Virginia University|access-date=April 7, 2016}}</ref> The archival collection documents his 30-year career in the United States Senate.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jay Rockefeller|url=https://rockefeller.lib.wvu.edu/|website=West Virginia & Regional History Center|publisher=West Virginia University Libraries|access-date=April 7, 2016}}</ref>

According to the website GovTrack, Rockefeller missed 541 of 9,992 roll call votes from January 1985 to July 2014. This amounted to 5.4 percent, which was worse than the median of 2.0 percent among senators serving as of July 2014.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/john_rockefeller/300084 |title = John "Jay" Rockefeller IV, former Senator for West Virginia}}</ref>

Rockefeller, along with his son Charles,<ref>{{cite web |title=Charles Rockefeller's Opening Speech |url=https://asiasociety.org/japan/charles-rockefellers-opening-speech |access-date=7 September 2018 |website=asiasociety.org}}</ref> is a trustee of New York's [[Asia Society]], which was established by his father in 1956. He is also a member of the [[Council on Foreign Relations]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Senator Jay Rockefeller Joins CFR as Distinguished Fellow |url=https://www.cfr.org/news-releases/senator-jay-rockefeller-joins-cfr-distinguished-fellow |access-date=7 September 2018 |website=cfr.org}}</ref> a nonprofit [[think tank]] previously chaired by his uncle, [[David Rockefeller]]. As a senator, he voted against the 1993 [[North American Free Trade Agreement]], which was heavily backed by David Rockefeller.

==== Committees ====
Rockefeller served on the following committees in the [[112th Congress]]:

*'''[[United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation|Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation]]''' (chairman)
**As chair of the full committee, Sen. Rockefeller may serve as an ''[[ex officio]]'' member of all subcommittees
*'''[[United States Senate Committee on Finance|Committee on Finance]]'''
**[[United States Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care|Subcommittee on Health Care]] (chairman)
**[[United States Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness|Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness]]
**[[United States Senate Finance Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy|Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy]]
*'''[[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|Select Committee on Intelligence]]'''
*'''[[United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs|Committee on Veterans' Affairs]]'''
*'''[[United States Congress Joint Committee on Taxation|Joint Committee on Taxation]]'''

==Political positions==
===Iraq War===
Rockefeller initially supported the use of force based upon the evidence presented by the intelligence community that linked Iraq to nuclear ambitions. After the [[Niger uranium forgeries]], in which the Bush administration gave forged documents to U.N. weapons inspectors to support allegations against Iraq, Rockefeller started an investigation into the falsification and exaggeration of evidence for the war. Through the investigations, he became an outspoken critic of Bush and the Iraq war. As chair of the Intelligence committee, he presided over a critical report on the administration's [[Senate Report on Pre-war Intelligence on Iraq#Background|handling of intelligence and war operations]].

Rockefeller and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released the final two pieces of the Phase II report on Iraq war intelligence on June 5, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rockefeller.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=298774 |title=Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) |publisher=Rockefeller.senate.gov |access-date=July 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091202055708/http://rockefeller.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=298774 |archive-date=December 2, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Rockefeller said, "The president and his advisers undertook a relentless public campaign in the aftermath of the attacks to use the war against Al Qaeda as a justification for overthrowing Saddam Hussein."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/world/middleeast/06intel.html|title=Bush Overstated Iraq Evidence, Senators Report|first=Mark Mazzetti and Scott|last=Shane|date=June 6, 2008|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=September 7, 2018}}</ref>

===Television violence===
In July 2007, Rockefeller announced that he planned to introduce legislation before the August congressional recess that would give the FCC the power to regulate TV violence. According to the edition of July 16, 2007, of Broadcasting & Cable, the new law would apply to both broadcast as well as cable and satellite programming. This would mark the first time that the FCC would be given power to regulate such a vast spectrum of content, which would include almost everything except material produced strictly for direct internet use. An aide to the senator said that his staff had also been carefully formulating the bill in such a way that it would be able to pass constitutional scrutiny by the courts.

===Telecommunications companies===
In 2007, Rockefeller began steering the Senate Intelligence Committee to grant [[NSA warrantless surveillance controversy|retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies]] who were accused of unlawfully assisting the [[National Security Agency]] (NSA) in monitoring the communications of American citizens.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-oct-19-na-fisa19-story.html|title=Senate panel OKs spy measure | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=October 19, 2007 |access-date=September 21, 2013}}</ref>

This was an about-face of sorts for Senator Rockefeller, who had hand-written a letter to Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] in 2003 expressing his concerns about the legality of NSA's warrantless wire-tapping program. Some have attributed this change of heart to the spike in contributions from telecommunications companies to the senator just as these companies began lobbying Congress to protect them from lawsuits regarding their cooperation with the [[National Security Agency]].<ref name="wired">{{cite magazine|first=Ryan |last=Singel |url=http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/10/dem-pushing-spy.html |title=Democratic Lawmaker Pushing Immunity Is Newly Flush With Telco Cash | department= Threat Level (blog) |magazine=Wired |date= October 18, 2007|access-date=July 13, 2010}}</ref>

Between 2001 and the start of this lobbying effort, AT&T employees had contributed only $300 to the senator.<ref name="wired" /> After the lobbying effort began, AT&T employees and executives donated $19,350 in three months.<ref name="wired" /> The senator has pledged not to rely on his vast fortune to fund his campaigns,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/external/pre-election/bios/437.html?SITE=NCGRDELN&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT |title=Election 2008  |publisher=Hosted.ap.org |access-date=July 13, 2010 |archive-date= December 10, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210230929/http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/external/pre-election/bios/437.html?SITE=NCGRDELN&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT}}</ref> and the AT&T contributions represent about 2% of the money he raised during the previous year.<ref name="wired" />

===Torture===
Although publicly deploring torture, Rockefeller was one of two congressional Democrats briefed on [[waterboarding]] and other secret CIA practices in the early years of the Bush administration, as well as the existence of taped evidence of such interrogations ([[2005 CIA interrogation tapes destruction|later destroyed]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rockefeller.senate.gov/news/2007/pr120607a.html |publisher=U.S. Senate website |title=Chairman Rockefeller Statement on the CIA Decision to Destroy Tapes of Early Detainee Interrogations |date=December 6, 2007 |access-date=December 11, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071213104052/http://rockefeller.senate.gov/news/2007/pr120607a.html |archive-date = December 13, 2007}}</ref> In December 2007, Rockefeller opposed a special counsel or commission inquiry into the destruction of the tapes, stating "it is the job of the intelligence committees to do that."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hyL3au-RZxEcch2P9ymXaJ9mroogD8TER1IO0 |title=White House Stays Quiet on CIA Tapes |author=Calvin Woodward |agency=Associated Press |date=December 10, 2007 |access-date=December 10, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070609092030/http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hyL3au-RZxEcch2P9ymXaJ9mroogD8TER1IO0 |archive-date=June 9, 2007 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

On September 28, 2006, Rockefeller voted with a largely Republican majority to suspend [[habeas corpus]] provisions for anyone deemed by the Executive Branch an "unlawful combatant," barring them from challenging their detentions in court. Rockefeller's vote gave a retroactive, nine-year immunity to U.S. officials who authorized, ordered, or committed acts of torture and abuse, permitting the use of statements obtained through torture to be used in military tribunals so long as the abuse took place by December 30, 2005.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0609290178sep29,1,1387725.story |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090224105706/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0609290178sep29,1,1387725.story |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 24, 2009 |title=Tribunal bill OKd by Senate |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |author1=William Neikirk |author2=Andrew Zajac |author3=Mark Silva |date=September 29, 2006 |access-date=September 29, 2006 }}</ref>
Rockefeller's vote authorized the President to establish permissible interrogation techniques and to "interpret the meaning and application" of international [[Geneva Convention]] standards, so long as the coercion fell short of "serious" bodily or psychological injury.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/29/washington/29detain.html |title=Senate Passes Broad New Detainee Rules |newspaper=New York Times |date=September 28, 2006 |access-date=December 10, 2007 | first=Kate | last=Zernike}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/4223241.html |title=Senate OKs detainee interrogation bill |agency=Associated Press |author=Anne Plummer Flaherty |date=September 28, 2006 |access-date=September 29, 2006 }}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The bill became law on October 17, 2006.

===2008 presidential election===
On February 29, 2008, he endorsed [[Barack Obama]] for president of the United States, citing Obama's judgment on the Iraq war and national security issues, and calling him the right candidate to lead America during a time of instability at home and abroad. This endorsement stood in stark contrast to the results of the state primary that was easily won by [[Hillary Clinton]].

On April 7, 2008, in an interview for ''[[The Charleston Gazette]]'', Rockefeller criticized [[Early life and military career of John McCain#Vietnam operations|John McCain's Vietnam experience]]:

<blockquote>McCain was a fighter pilot, who dropped laser-guided missiles from 35,000 feet. He was long gone when they hit. What happened when they get to the ground? He doesn't know. You have to care about the lives of people. McCain never gets into those issues.<ref>"Jay Defends Endorsement of Sen. Obama" ''Charleston (WV) Gazette'', 2008-04-08. wvgazette.com.  (fee required).</ref><ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Apr08/0,4670,McCainRockefeller,00.html "Rockefeller Apologizes for McCain Remark"] ''FoxNews''.com (AP) 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2010-11-22.</ref></blockquote>

The McCain campaign called for an apology from Senator Rockefeller and for [[Barack Obama]], whom Rockefeller endorsed, to denounce the comment. Rockefeller later apologized for the comment<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.register-herald.com/local/local_story_099204606.html |title=Rockefeller apologizes to McCain over Vietnam service comment |publisher=Register-herald.com, Beckley WV |date=April 8, 2008 |access-date=November 22, 2010}}</ref> and the Obama campaign issued a statement expressing Obama's disagreement with the comment. Senator [[Lindsey Graham]] (R) of South Carolina noted that "John didn't drop bombs from 35,000 feet. ... the bombs were not laser guided (in the 1960 and 1970s)".<ref>[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/04/08/rockefeller-apologizes-for-saying-mccain-doesnt-care-about-lives-of-war-bystanders/ After Rockefeller Insult, McCain Camp Claims Obama Won't Shut Down Campaign Smears - America's Election HQ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409171023/http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/04/08/rockefeller-apologizes-for-saying-mccain-doesnt-care-about-lives-of-war-bystanders/ |date=April 9, 2008 }}</ref>

===Cybersecurity===
On April 1, 2009, Rockefeller introduced the [[Computer security#Cybersecurity Act of 2010|Cybersecurity Act of 2009 - S.773]] before Congress. Citing the vulnerability of the Internet to cyber-attacks, the bill makes provisions to turn the Department of Commerce into a public-private clearing house to share potential threat information with the owners of large private networks. It authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to sequester any information deemed necessary, without regard to any law.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/senate-bill/773/text |title=Cybersecurity Act of 2009 Sec. 14 |publisher=Library of congress |author=Senator John D. Rockefeller |date=April 1, 2009 |access-date=June 15, 2009 }}</ref>

It would also authorizes the president to declare an undefined "cyber-emergency" which would allow them to shut down any and all traffic to what they considers to be a compromised server.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/senate-bill/773/text |title=Cybersecurity Act of 2009 Sec. 18 |publisher=Library of congress |author=Senator John D. Rockefeller |date=April 1, 2009 |access-date=June 15, 2009 }}</ref>

On June 1, 2011, Rockefeller sponsored the fourth West Virginia Homeland Security Summit and Expo. The event ran two days and focused on homeland security with Rockefeller emphasizing cybersecurity.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120310152523/http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/Homeland_Security_a_Major_Focus_for_Agencies_across_West_Virginia__122995288.html?ref=288 Homeland Security a Major Focus for Agencies Across W.Va.]</ref>

===Health care===
In 1997, Rockefeller co-authored the [[Children's Health Insurance Program]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rockefeller.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=281817|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603151738/http://rockefeller.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=281817|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 June 2011|title= ROCKEFELLER CHILDREN'S HEALTH BILL PASSES SENATE|date=2 August 2007|website=rockefeller.senate.gov|via=archive.org|access-date=7 September 2018}}</ref> (CHIP) – a program aimed at giving low-income children health insurance coverage. Annually, CHIP has been successfully covering about 6 million children, who otherwise would have been uninsured. On September 30, 2007, the program expired, requiring Congress to reauthorize the legislation. On August 2, 2007, the vote for reauthorization passed legislation by a strong, bipartisan vote (68–31).

Rockefeller authored successful legislation that required the Department of Veterans Affairs, for the first time, to provide a wide range of extended care services—such as home health care, adult day care, respite care, and hospice care—to veterans who use the VA health care system.

Rockefeller is also a strong supporter of the fight against Alzheimer's and neurological disease.  The Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute (BRNI)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brni.org|title=Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute - School of Medicine - West Virginia University|website=brni.org|access-date=7 September 2018}}</ref> was founded in Morgantown in 1999 by Rockefeller and his family to help advance medical and scientific understanding of Alzheimer's and other diseases of the brain. BRNI is the world's only non-profit institute dedicated exclusively to the study of both human memory and diseases of memory. Its primary mission is to accelerate neurological discoveries from the lab, including diagnostic tools and treatments, to the clinic to benefit patients who suffer from neurological and psychiatric diseases. A $30 million state-of-the-art BRNI research facility was opened at West Virginia University in Fall 2008. The approximately {{convert|80,000|sqft|m2}} three-level building will house 100 scientists by 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wvumedicine.org/rni/who-we-are/the-rockefeller-family/|title=The Rockefeller Family and the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute - WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute|website=wvumedicine.org|access-date=September 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180907110323/https://wvumedicine.org/rni/who-we-are/the-rockefeller-family/|archive-date=September 7, 2018|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

On Healthcare Reform, Rockefeller has been a proponent of a [[Public health insurance option|public option]], fighting with some Democrats on the finance committee, in particular [[Max Baucus]], the chairman of the committee, who contended that there was not enough support for a public option to gather the 60 votes needed to prevent a filibuster. Baucus asked repeatedly for Rockefeller to stop speaking on the issue.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/29/AR2009092903063.html |title=Washington Sketch: Democratic Fratricide Begins |newspaper=Washington Post |author=Dana Milbank |date=September 30, 2009 |access-date=September 30, 2009 }}</ref>

On September 29, 2009, Rockefeller offered an amendment to the [[Baucus Health Bill]] in the Senate Finance Committee to add a public option. The amendment was rejected 15 to 8, with five Democrats (Baucus, [[Kent Conrad]], [[Blanche Lincoln]], [[Tom Carper]], [[Bill Nelson (politician)|Bill Nelson]]) and all Republicans voting no.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/health/policy/30health.html|title=Senators Reject Pair of Public Option Proposals |last=Pear|first=Robert|author2=Jackie Calmes|date=September 29, 2009|newspaper=New York Times|access-date=October 1, 2009}}</ref>

Rockefeller supported President Barack Obama's health reform legislation; he voted for the [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]] in December 2009,<ref>{{cite web | title = U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote, H.R. 3950 | work = senate.gov | date = December 24, 2009 | url = https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00396 | access-date = September 21, 2013 }}</ref> and he voted for the [[Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00105 |title=U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote |publisher=Senate.gov |access-date=August 29, 2010}}</ref>

==Electoral history==
{{Election box begin no change
 | title=1966 West Virginia House of Delegates election in [[Kanawha County, West Virginia|Kanawha County]]<br>''Elect Fourteen''}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Jay Rockefeller
 | votes      = 36,789
 | percentage = 4.63
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = Cleo S. Jones
 | votes      = 32,901
 | percentage = 4.14
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = Walter W. Carey
 | votes      = 31,924
 | percentage = 4.02
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = George K.W. Woo
 | votes      = 31,492
 | percentage = 3.96
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Ivor F. Boiarsky
 | votes      = 30,802
 | percentage = 3.88
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = Lon Clark Kinder
 | votes      = 29,992
 | percentage = 3.77
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = Paul Zakaib
 | votes      = 29,947
 | percentage = 3.77
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = James Clay Jeter
 | votes      = 29,721
 | percentage = 3.74
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Si Galperin
 | votes      = 29,429
 | percentage = 3.70
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = Leo G. Kopelman
 | votes      = 29,266
 | percentage = 3.68
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = Alfred A. Lilly
 | votes      = 28,746
 | percentage = 3.62
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = Thomas E. Potter
 | votes      = 28,704
 | percentage = 3.61
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = Eric Nelson Sr.
 | votes      = 28,333
 | percentage = 3.57
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = Russell L. Davisson
 | votes      = 28,331
 | percentage = 3.57
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Thomas A. Knight
 | votes      = 28,319
 | percentage = 3.56
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = Charles Young
 | votes      = 28,043
 | percentage = 3.53
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = James W. Thornhill
 | votes      = 27,765
 | percentage = 3.49
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = William Ricks
 | votes      = 27,480
 | percentage = 3.46
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = Blanche Horan
 | votes      = 27,458
 | percentage = 3.46
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = [[Jack L. Pauley]]
 | votes      = 26,434
 | percentage = 3.33
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = J.F. Bedell Jr.
 | votes      = 26,222
 | percentage = 3.30
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Kelly L. Castleberry
 | votes      = 26,125
 | percentage = 3.29
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Jesse S. Barker
 | votes      = 26,030
 | percentage = 3.28
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Dempsey Gibson
 | votes      = 25,888
 | percentage = 3.26
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Fred L. Scott
 | votes      = 25,616
 | percentage = 3.22
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = James K. Thomas Jr.
 | votes      = 24,967
 | percentage = 3.14
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Pat Board Jr.
 | votes      = 24,559
 | percentage = 3.09
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = L.E. Thompson
 | votes      = 23,224
 | percentage = 2.92
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change
 | title=1968 West Virginia [[West Virginia Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] election
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Jay Rockefeller
 | votes      = 433,142
 | percentage = 60.92
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = John S. Callebs
 | votes      = 277,877
 | percentage = 39.08
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change
 | title=[[1972 West Virginia gubernatorial election]]
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = [[Arch A. Moore Jr.]]
 | votes      = 423,817
 | percentage = 54.74
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Jay Rockefeller
 | votes      = 350,462
 | percentage = 45.26
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change
 | title=[[1976 West Virginia gubernatorial election]]
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Jay Rockefeller
 | votes      = 495,661
 | percentage = 66.15
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = [[Cecil H. Underwood]]
 | votes      = 253,420
 | percentage = 33.82
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change
 | title=[[1980 West Virginia gubernatorial election]]
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Jay Rockefeller
 | votes      = 401,863
 | percentage = 54.15
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = [[Arch A. Moore Jr.]]
 | votes      = 337,240
 | percentage = 45.44
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change
 | title=[[1984 United States Senate election in West Virginia]]
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Jay Rockefeller
 | votes      = 374,233
 | percentage = 51.82
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = [[John Raese]]
 | votes      = 344,680
 | percentage = 47.73
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change
 | title=[[1990 United States Senate election in West Virginia]]
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Jay Rockefeller
 | votes      = 276,234
 | percentage = 68.32
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = [[John C. Yoder]]
 | votes      = 128,071
 | percentage = 31.68
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change
 | title=[[1996 United States Senate election in West Virginia]]
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Jay Rockefeller
 | votes      = 456,526
 | percentage = 76.65
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = Betty Burks
 | votes      = 139,088
 | percentage = 23.35
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change
 | title=[[2002 United States Senate election in West Virginia]]
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Jay Rockefeller
 | votes      = 275,281
 | percentage = 63.11
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = [[Jay Wolfe]]
 | votes      = 160,902
 | percentage = 36.89
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change
 | title=[[2008 United States Senate election in West Virginia]]
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Democratic Party
 | candidate  = Jay Rockefeller
 | votes      = 447,985
 | percentage = 63.71
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
 | party      = West Virginia Republican Party
 | candidate  = [[Jay Wolfe]]
 | votes      = 255,074
 | percentage = 36.27
}}
{{Election box end}}

==Personal life==
Since 1967, Rockefeller has been married to [[Sharon Percy Rockefeller|Sharon Lee Percy]], the chief executive officer of [[WETA-TV]], the leading [[PBS]] station in the Washington, D.C., area, which broadcasts such programs as ''[[PBS NewsHour]]'' and ''[[Washington Week]]''. She is a twin daughter of Senator [[Charles H. Percy|Charles Harting Percy]] (1919–2011) and Jeanne Valerie Dickerson.

Jay and Sharon have four children:
*John Davison "Jamie" Rockefeller V (born 1969), who is married to Emily Rockefeller. She is the daughter of former [[National Football League]] (NFL) Commissioner [[Paul Tagliabue]]. They have two daughters, Laura Chandler Rockefeller (born c. 2000) and Sophia Percy Rockefeller (born c. 2002),<ref>{{cite news |last=Comins |first=Linda |date=September 15, 2007 |title=Rockefellers Welcome Their First Grandson |work=Wheeling New-Register |url=http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/53082.html?nav=505 |access-date=January 16, 2013 |archive-date=October 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003142646/http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/53082.html?nav=505 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and one son, John Davison Rockefeller VI (born c. 2007).
*[[Valerie Rockefeller Wayne|Valerie Blanchette Rockefeller]] (born 1971),<ref>Public Voter Records (Connecticut)</ref> who was married twice, initially to James Douglas Carnegie in 2000<ref>{{Cite news |date=2000-05-14 |title=WEDDINGS; Valerie Rockefeller, James Carnegie |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/14/style/weddings-valerie-rockefeller-james-carnegie.html |access-date=2023-04-26 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and currently to Steven William Wayne in 2004.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2004-09-19 |title=Valerie Rockefeller, Steven Wayne |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/19/fashion/weddings/valerie-rockefeller-steven-wayne.html |access-date=2023-04-26 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> She has two daughters, Percy Rockefeller Wayne and Lucy Rockefeller Wayne, and one son, Davis Rockefeller Wayne. Her husband is an executive for [[Jensen Group]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marriott |first=Robin |date=2013-01-18 |title=Jensen takes re-opened Russia fund to $155m |url=https://www.perenews.com/jensen-takes-re-opened-russia-fund-to-155m/ |access-date=2023-04-26 |website=PERE |language=en-GB}}</ref> They reside in [[Old Greenwich, Connecticut]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Valerie Rockefeller Wayne - NYC Junior Ambassadors |url=https://www.nyc.gov/site/juniorambassadors/about/valerie-rockefeller.page#:~:text=Valerie%20lives%20with%20her%20husband,firm%20he%20founded%20in%201991. |access-date=2023-04-26 |website=www.nyc.gov}}</ref>
*Charles P. Rockefeller (born 1973), an entrepreneur in [[health technology]], as well as trustee of [[Historic Hudson Valley]], [[Asia Society]] and member of the president's council of the [[University of Tokyo]]. He resides in [[New York City]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.design-studio.co.il |first=Design-Studio |title=DC Finance's Global Family Office and High Net Worth Individual Community |url=https://www.dc-finance.com/mr.-charles-rockefeller |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=www.dc-finance.com |language=he}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Karen |date=2018-12-17 |title=Valerie Rockefeller and Dawn Fitzpatrick Are Honored at Women's History Institute Dinner |url=https://hudsonvalley.org/article/valerie-rockefeller-and-dawn-fitzpatrick-are-honored-at-womens-history-institute-dinner/ |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=Historic Hudson Valley |language=en-US}}</ref>
*[[Justin Rockefeller|Justin Aldrich Rockefeller]] (born 1979), married to [[Indré Rockefeller|Indré Vengris]] since 2006. They have two daughters.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Justin Rockefeller |url=https://www.rbf.org/people/justin-rockefeller |access-date=2023-04-26 |website=Rockefeller Brothers Fund |language=en}}</ref>

The Rockefellers reside in Northwest Washington, D.C.,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://architectofthecapital.org/posts/2016/7/12/rockefeller-mansion-in-rock-creek-park|title=Check Out The Rockefeller Mansion in Rock Creek Park|website=architectofthecapital.org|date=October 16, 2016 |access-date=September 7, 2018}}</ref> and maintain permanent residence in [[Charleston, West Virginia]]. They have a ranch in the [[Grand Teton National Park]] in [[Jackson Hole]], [[Wyoming]]. President [[Bill Clinton]], a friend of Rockefeller's, and the Clinton family vacationed at the ranch in August 1995.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brozan |first=Nadine |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html |title=Chronicle |location=Jackson Hole (Wyo) |newspaper=New York Times |date=July 12, 1995 |access-date=July 13, 2010}}</ref>

Rockefeller is related to several Republican Party supporters and former officeholders: his paternal grandmother [[Abby Aldrich Rockefeller|Abigail Greene "Abby" Aldrich]] (1874–1948) was a daughter of [[Rhode Island]] Senator [[Nelson W. Aldrich|Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich]] (1841–1915). [[John D. Rockefeller, Jr.|John Davison Rockefeller Jr.]] (1874–1960) and Abby's youngest son was banker David Rockefeller (1915–2017). David's brother [[Winthrop Rockefeller]] (1912–1973) served as Governor of Arkansas (1967–71). Winthrop and David's brother [[Nelson Rockefeller|Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller]] (1908–1979) served as Governor of New York (1959–73) and as Vice President of the United States (1974–77) under President [[Gerald Ford]]. Jay is also a first cousin of Arkansas Lt. Governor [[Winthrop Paul Rockefeller]] (1948–2006).

==Awards and decorations==
* {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=National Intelligence Distinguished Public Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=80}} [[National Intelligence Distinguished Public Service Medal]], 2009
*[[File:JPN Kyokujitsu-sho 1Class BAR.svg|80px]]&nbsp;&nbsp;Grand Cordon [[Order of the Rising Sun]] (Japan), 2013.
*National Consumers League first-ever [https://www.nclnet.org/senators_harkin_rockefeller_fcc_rsquo_s_clyburn_to_be_honored_with_prestigious_advocacy_awards_in_washington Consumer and Labor Leadership Award] (shared with Sen. Tom Harkin), commemorating their service to America's consumers and workers; Rockefeller also received the [https://www.nclnet.org/trumpeter_awards_winners NCL Trumpeter award] in 1992.

==See also==
*[[Rockefeller family]]
*[[David Rockefeller]]
*[[Kykuit]]
*[[Chemical weapons#United States Senate Report|US Senate Report on chemical weapons]] Rockefeller chaired this committee.
*[[2005 CIA interrogation tapes destruction]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==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)
;Senator
* {{CongLinks | congbio=r000361 | votesmart=53360 | fec=S4WV00027 | congress=jay-rockefeller/1424 }}<!--
Links formerly displayed via the CongLinks template:
* [http://ballotpedia.org/Jay_Rockefeller Biography] at [[Ballotpedia]]
* [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/300084 Congressional profile] at [[GovTrack]]
* [http://www.opencongress.org/people/show/300084 Congressional profile] at [[Participatory Politics Foundation|OpenCongress]]
* [http://www.rollcall.com/members/538.html Congressional profile] at ''[[Roll Call]]''
* [http://www.politifact.com/personalities/jay-rockefeller Fact-checking] at [[PolitiFact.com]]
* [http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00001685 Financial information (federal office)] at [[Center for Responsive Politics|OpenSecrets.org]]
* [https://apps.washingtonpost.com/politics/capitol-assets/member/john-rockefeller Financial investments (personal)] at ''[[The Washington Post]]''
* [http://www.legistorm.com/member/81/Sen_John_Davison_Rockefeller_IV.html Staff salaries, trips and personal finance] at LegiStorm.com
* [http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/John_Rockefeller.htm Issue positions and quotes] at [[On the Issues]]
* [http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n80-983 Works by or about Jay Rockefeller] in libraries ([[WorldCat]] catalog)
* [http://www.c-spanvideo.org/johnrockefeller Appearances] on [[C-SPAN]] programs
* [http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/1505 Appearances] on [[Charlie Rose (TV show)|''Charlie Rose'']]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1913270 Appearances] at the [[Internet Movie Database]]
* [http://topics.bloomberg.com/jay-rockefeller/ Collected news and commentary] at ''[[Bloomberg News]]''
* [http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/john_d_iv_rockefeller/index.html Collected news and commentary] at ''[[The New York Times]]''
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gIQAElxz9O_topic.html Collected news and commentary] at ''[[The Washington Post]]''
* -->
;Governor
*[http://www.wvculture.org/history/government/governors/jayrock.html Biography] at West Virginia Archives and History
**[http://www.wvculture.org/history/government/governors/rockefelleria1.html Inaugural Address of John D. Rockefeller, IV (1977)]
**[http://www.wvculture.org/history/government/governors/rockefelleria2.html Inaugural Address of John D. Rockefeller, IV (1981)]
*[http://peacecorpsonline.org/messages/messages/467/2022595.html Biography] at the [[Peace Corps]]

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Jay Rockefeller}}
*{{C-SPAN|1238}}
;Articles
*[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/15/AR2006111501633.html Senator Outlines Plans For Intelligence Panel] Rockefeller's agenda on becoming chairman in January 2007.
*[https://www.cfr.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/FY17%20Membership%20Roster.pdf Membership] at the [[Council on Foreign Relations]]

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