The last member of his family’s political dynasty, and the only Democrat to serve as governor of West Virginia and subsequently as a US senator for many years, John D. “Jay” Rockefeller IV, died on Thursday evening (5 November) at the age of 89.

According to Mary Stewart, vice president of external affairs at public broadcaster WETA, Rockefeller died at his home in Washington. His wife, Sharon, serves as the station’s president and chief executive officer.

As the Associated Press notes, Rockefeller came from one of the wealthiest families in the United States, but devoted half a century to public service in one of the country’s poorest states. He arrived in 1964 as an employee of an anti-poverty programme, was elected governor 12 years later, serving two terms, and subsequently spent 30 years as a US senator.

“I cannot imagine a more rewarding career,” Rockefeller himself said upon his retirement in 2015.

He was born John D. Rockefeller IV in New York City. His great-grandfather, Standard Oil Co. founder John D. Rockefeller, died one month before Rockefeller was born. His father, John D. Rockefeller III, was a prominent philanthropist. His uncles, Winthrop (Arkansas) and Nelson (New York), were Republican governors. Another uncle, David Rockefeller, headed Chase Manhattan Bank.

He took a different path from his family

Jay Rockefeller followed a different path from his family. A few years after graduating from university, at the age of 27, he moved to the coal-mining community of Emmons, West Virginia, to take part in the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) programme, a period that, as he said, proved decisive.

“This explains every policy I pursued and every vote I cast. It was there that my convictions took root, and it was there that my passions met my principles,” he said in his emotional farewell speech in the Senate chamber on 4 December 2014.

Although he had not intended to remain in the state for long, Rockefeller broke with his family’s Republican tradition and was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates as a Democrat in 1966. Combining money with hard work in a traditionally Democratic state, he overcame suspicions of political opportunism and rose from state legislator to secretary of state and subsequently to governor.

A turning point came after Rockefeller’s only political defeat, in the 1972 gubernatorial election, when he lost to Republican Arch A. Moore Jr. Moore’s daughter, Republican Shelley Moore Capito, was elected in 2014 to replace Rockefeller in the Senate following his retirement.

Capito described Rockefeller today (6 November) as a “true gentleman” who treated her with respect, kindness and encouragement.

“Over the years, we developed a wonderful friendship that transcended political boundaries, and I will always be grateful for that,” she said in a statement.

After his defeat, Rockefeller remained in West Virginia, a decision he described as the most important one of his career. In 1973, he became the first person without a theology degree to assume the position of president of West Virginia Wesleyan College.

His popularity there — and his shift in position in favour of surface mining — translated into a landslide victory over Republican Cecil Underwood in the 1976 gubernatorial election.

As governor, Rockefeller placed emphasis on developing the state’s infrastructure, including roads, sewage systems and bridges. These issues, he had pointed out, “are not very glamorous, I admit, but they are very necessary in West Virginia”.

The state’s current governor, Patrick Morrisey, said Rockefeller had helped shape the state and left an indelible mark on the lives of generations of West Virginians.

“From his early work in some of our state’s most underserved communities to his efforts to strengthen healthcare, protect coal miners and their families, and support our veterans, Senator Rockefeller demonstrated a deep commitment to the people of West Virginia,” Morrisey said.

A senator in Washington and $21 million spent on political campaigns

After Rockefeller defeated Arch Moore in a rematch in 1980, he won a seat in the US Senate in 1984, following the retirement of longtime Democratic senator Jennings Randolph. This came despite the sweeping victory achieved that year by Republican President Ronald Reagan.

Rockefeller and his wife, Sharon, the daughter of former Republican Senator Charles Percy of Illinois, easily became part of Washington’s social scene, purchasing a multimillion-dollar mansion for their family.

Never shy or apologetic about using the $150 million fortune he had inherited to win his elections, he spent millions upon millions of dollars out of his own pocket. He won by comfortable margins in each of his five terms.

Rockefeller’s enormous wealth was always a topic of discussion and an underlying factor in his political campaigns. He spent at least $21 million of his own money on his election campaigns, including $9 million to win a closely contested Senate race in 1984 against political newcomer and fellow multimillionaire Republican John Raese.

During Rockefeller’s 1980 gubernatorial campaign against Republican Arch Moore Jr., car bumper stickers appeared bearing the slogan: “Make him spend it all, Arch.”

As the state’s junior senator for 25 years, Rockefeller carved out his own sphere of influence beneath the enormous shadow of Senator Robert C. Byrd.

Byrd died in 2010 as the longest-serving senator in US history, having earned a lasting reputation for directing billions of dollars to his impoverished state over several decades.

Rockefeller’s influence was less conspicuous. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, he championed consumer rights, upgraded broadband infrastructure and supported legislation that would prohibit companies from tracking their customers’ online activity.

In 1997, he drafted legislation that created the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which helps low-income families whose earnings are too high to qualify for Medicaid.

He also chaired the Senate Veterans’ Affairs and Intelligence Committees, frequently clashing with US President George W. Bush over foreign policy. Rockefeller admitted that he regretted his 2002 vote in favour of authorising the war against Iraq.

However, Rockefeller also disagreed with the Democratic administration of US President Barack Obama over regulations concerning mining.

As his state was the country’s second-largest coal producer, Rockefeller was one of several West Virginia officials who opposed the Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) oversight of the “mountaintop removal” mining method.

His studies at the University of Tokyo laid the foundations for Rockefeller’s efforts to attract Japanese businesses to West Virginia.

He had known the family of Toyota’s founders since the 1960s and played a decisive role in helping the Japanese automaker select a cornfield in Buffalo, West Virginia, as the site for an engine-parts manufacturing plant in 1996.

The $2 billion plant currently employs approximately 2,200 workers.