John Davison 'Jay' Rockefeller IV is a retired American politician and former Democratic U.S. Senator from West Virginia who served from 1985 to 2015. Born on June 18, 1937, in New York City into the prominent Rockefeller family as the great-grandson of oil magnate John D. Rockefeller, he earned a bachelor's degree in Far Eastern history from Harvard University in 1961. Inspired by the civil rights movement, he moved to West Virginia in 1964 as a VISTA volunteer, eventually making it his lifelong home. His political career began with election to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1966, followed by serving as Secretary of State (1968-1973) and as president of West Virginia Wesleyan College (1973-1975). He was elected Governor of West Virginia in 1976, serving two terms from 1977 to 1985, focusing on economic development, education reform, and environmental protection. In 1984, he won a U.S. Senate seat as a Democrat, serving five terms until his retirement in 2015. As West Virginia's senior senator after Robert Byrd's death in 2010, he chaired the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation from 2009 to 2015, overseeing legislation on broadband access, consumer protection, and transportation safety. Known for his bipartisan approach on healthcare and veterans' issues, he testified in hearings involving tech executives on cybersecurity matters. Despite his family's vast wealth, he emphasized his adopted West Virginian identity and worked to bridge urban-rural divides. He married Sharon Percy in 1967, with whom he had four children. Post-retirement, he has engaged in philanthropy focusing on education and health initiatives in Appalachia.