Former US senator Jay Rockefeller dies at 89
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
John D. “Jay” Rockefeller IV, former US senator and governor of West Virginia, died on Thursday evening at the age of 89 in Washington. He devoted much of his political career to disadvantaged people in West Virginia, according to the Associated Press.
Jay Rockefeller, former governor of West Virginia and Democratic senator from the state, had left a very wealthy family to work with poor communities before entering politics. In 1964, he took part in the VISTA programme, a US anti-poverty initiative, in a West Virginia mining community, according to the Associated Press, cited by Punch.
Elected governor in 1976 and senator in 1984, Jay Rockefeller represented West Virginia in the Senate for 30 years, from 1985 to 2015. He notably advocated access to healthcare for low-income families, consumer protection, the expansion of broadband and the interests of veterans. In 1997, he championed the Children’s Health Insurance Program, a federal programme for children from families unable to qualify for Medicaid but also unable to afford private insurance, according to the Associated Press.
