Jay Rockefeller, Former Senator And Heir To American Dynasty, Dies At 89

John D. “Jay” Rockefeller, the former West Virginia governor and U.S. senator born into one of the most prominent families in American history, died Friday in his Washington, D.C., home, The Washington Post reported. He was 89.

The outlet did not say what caused his death.

Born on June 18, 1937, weeks after his famous great-grandfather’s death, Rockefeller was a five-term Democrat senator who represented West Virginia from 1985 to 2015, and was known for pushing expansive health care and social policies and criticizing the Iraq War. He was first elected to the Senate in 1984 after serving as West Virginia’s secretary of state and then serving two terms as governor.

In the 1990s, Rockefeller was one of the key supporters of President Bill Clinton’s failed attempt at near-universal health care coverage. He also backed former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which was signed in 2010. Rockefeller thought Obama’s massive healthcare overhaul didn’t go far enough, and he unsuccessfully sought to make the government program available for everyone.

In 2002, he voted in favor of authorizing President George W. Bush to wage the Iraq War, which led to the invasion the following year. He later said he regretted that decision, arguing that Bush took the nation to war on “false premises.” In 2008, he led a Senate Intelligence Committee investigation, which concluded the Bush administration had overstated prewar intelligence.

Rockefeller also sponsored legislation to expand research to treat illnesses for military service members, broaden eligibility for the earned income tax credit and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. He chaired the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and the Intelligence Committee.

He announced his retirement from the Senate in 2013 at age 75.

“Championing those most in need has been my life’s calling, and I will never stop fighting to make a difference for the people who mean so much to me,” he said at the time.

The former senator was born into a long line of successful people, as the great-grandson of the famed John D. Rockefeller, who founded Standard Oil Company and became one of the world’s wealthiest people in the early 20th century. His father, John D. Rockefeller III, was a famous philanthropist; his uncle, Nelson Rockefeller, was governor of New York and U.S. vice president.

He married Sharon Percy Rockefeller in 1967, and they had four children.

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