Senator John Davison (Jay) Rockefeller IV served the people and state of West Virginia for more than 50 years. Rockefeller came to West Virginia in 1964 as a 27-year-old VISTA volunteer in the small community of Emmons, an experience that shaped his extensive career in public service. He served in the West Virginia House of Delegates (1966-1968); as Secretary of State of West Virginia (1968-1972); President of West Virginia Wesleyan College (1973-1976); and Governor of West Virginia (1977-1985). In 1984 he was elected to the United States Senate and was reelected to four terms in 1990, 1996, 2002, and 2008, before retiring in 2015.

In 1964, Rockefeller joined the newly formed national service program Volunteers In Service to America (VISTA) aimed at fighting poverty. He served in Emmons, WV, a small mining community along the Boone-Kanawha county line, for two years. His efforts in Emmons included starting a Little League baseball team, extending school bus service to the rural area, and providing transportation to dental clinics. He built a community center and obtained access to mobile health screenings for women.

Rockefeller began his service in the U.S. Senate on January 15, 1985, and served until 2015. He became a leading champion for health care reform, an advocate for improving the lives of children and working families, and a supporter of the nation’s soldiers, veterans, and senior citizens. He served as chair of the Committee on Veterans Affairs (1993-1994, 2001-2003); the Select Committee on Intelligence (2007-2009); the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (2009-2015); and the Committee on Finance Subcommittee on Medicare and Long-term Care (1989-1994, 2001-2003, 2007-2014). He also served as vice-chair of the Select Committee on Intelligence (2003-2006).

Influenced by his two years in Emmons, Rockefeller championed health care issues, and health care reform throughout his Senate career. He supported measures to improve and modernize Medicare, expand access to health care, and increase health coverage for children, authoring the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). He introduced and co-sponsored more than 2,000 pieces of major health-related legislation and provided leadership and policy on health care reform for both the Clinton and Obama administrations.

He was appointed to the Senate Finance Committee and its Subcommittee on Medicare and Long-term Care (later known as the Subcommittee on Health Care) in 1987 and served as chairman of the Subcommittee and ranking member until his retirement.

In recognition of his contributions to improving the wellbeing of children and families and supporting education, in 1988, President Ronald Reagan appointed Rockefeller chair of the National Commission on Children. The bi-partisan commission voted unanimously to accept the report and in response, Congress and the President expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit, created the Child Tax Credit and established the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Senator Rockefeller was an advocate for veterans’ issues, serving on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee for the entirety of his Senate career and acting as both chair and ranking minority member. He especially focused on expanding research and treatment for service-related illnesses, such as Gulf War Illness, Agent Orange, and issues relating to Atomic Veterans. He brought attention to treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the reform of the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system.

Other Past Recipients