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Gallery: Jay Rockefeller through the years

AP Photo/Tyler Evert

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-WV.,right, who announced his plans to not seek reelection at the end of his term, poses with his wife Sharon, left and grandchildren, bottom from left; Lucy, Percy and Davis Wayne, and John Rockefeller VI, during a press conference in Charleston, W.Va. Friday Jan. 11, 2013. Rockefeller's retirement was widely expected and puts the seat held by Democrats since 1958 in jeopardy for the party.

January 11, 2013 @ 06:00 PM

Herald-Dispatch.com

U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who came to West Virginia as a young man from one of the world's richest families to work on antipoverty programs and remained in the state to build a political legacy, announced Friday he will not seek a sixth term.

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AP Photo/Tyler Evert

File photo/The Herald-Dispatch Rick Huckabay, a former Thundering Herd basktball coach, is seen here with Sen. Jay Rockefeller, left, in the July 9, 1984, file photo. Huckabay, who coached Marshall from 1983 to 1989, died Friday, March 10, 2006, in Shreveport, La.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., speaks in front of a cut-out of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Wednesday evening at the Kerry-Edwards Headquarters in Huntington. The senator encouraged voters to vote a straight ticket for the Democratic party next Tuesday.

Senator Jay Rockefeller gets off the bus at Marshall University Monday morning with a Japanese delegation that was in the state looking at possible locations for new factories

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., laughs with President Clinton outside the White House Wednesday Dec. 2, 1998 after a meeting between the president and Democratic senators to discuss their agenda for the 106th Congress. (AP Photo/Doug Mills)

From left, Akira Takahashi, executive vice president of Toyota Motor Corporation; West Virginia Gov. Cecil Underwood; U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.; Toyota Team Leader Nancy Sodaro; and Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda, board chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, listen to a speaker as part of the opening ceremonies at the company's $900 milllion engine plant in Buffalo, W.Va., Friday, Dec. 11, 1998. Bill Whittington, Mayor of Buffalo, W.Va., is partially shown far left. (AP Photo/Bob Bird)

Flanked by his wife Tipper, left, and Jay Rockefeller, right, Al Gore reacts to the crowd enthusiasm before his campaign speech at the Tri-State Airport.

West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise shakes hands with Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., prior to delivering his State of the State address in Charleston, W.Va., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2001.(AP Photo/Bob Bird)

Senator Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., speaks during a news conference announcing the completion of the Huntington Area Metro Fiber Build high-speed medical data connection on Thursday, March 24, 2011, at the Erma Ora Byrd Clinical Center in Huntington.

In this Wednesday, Sept. 28, 1983 file photo, Democratic presidential hopeful Walter Mondale, right, chats with Gov. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and his wife, Sharon, just before a "Prelude to Victory" dinner in Washington. U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller said Friday, Jan. 11, 2012, that he will not seek a sixth term in 2014, a half-century after he emerged from one of America�s most recognizable dynasties to land in West Virginia and climb atop its political ranks. (AP Photo, File))

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security, and Sen. Jay Rockefeller speak with the media as the West Virginia Homeland Security Summit & Expo is conducted on Wednesday, June 1, 2011, at Marshall University in Huntington.

In this Wednesday, July 18, 1984 file photo, Sen. Gary Hart, left, confers with W.Va. Gov. Jay Rockefeller prior to the start of the third session of the 1984 Democratic National Convention, in San Francisco. Jay Rockefeller said, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013 that he will not seek a sixth term in 2014, a half-century after he emerged from one of America�s most recognizable dynasties to land in West Virginia and climb atop its political ranks. (AP Photo/Jack Smith, File)

W.Va. Gov. Jay Rockefeller (holding shovel) and Secretary of State A. James Manchin plant a tree with the Downtown Huntington Lions Club outside what is now Big Sandy Superstore Arena, circa 1977. The local Lions Club is celebrating its 90th anniversary.

Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch Senator Jay Rockefeller speaks as he is inducted into the June Harless Hall of Fame during the June Harless 10th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Tuesday, May 1, 2012, at Marshall University Foundation Hall in Huntington.

The Herald-Dispatch file photo Senator Jay Rockefeller meets with spectators during the opening ceremonies for the East Huntington Bridge in August 1985.

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch Joan C. Edwards speaks with Senator Jay Rockefeller Friday, September 30, 2005 during the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center Pre-opening Dedication Celebration at Cabell Huntington Hospital.

From left, West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., bows their heads at a memorial service for the late Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., Friday, July 2, 2010, at the Capitol in Charleston, W.Va. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., speaks with local business representatives about online consumer protection and scams to avoid Tuesday, June 1, 2010, at the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce.

At left President Stephen Kopp and Sen. Jay Rockefeller have a discussion prior to a presentation at the 3-D Virtual Interactive Simulation Environment Lab on Wednesday, April 7, 2010, at Marshall University in Huntington.

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch Senator Jay Rockefeller was joined by Admiral Thad Allen, the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, at the Huntington Marine Safety Unit in Barboursville on Wednesday to discuss the importance of waterway security in West Virginia and across our country.

Photo courtesy of Sen. Jay Rockefeller's office Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., speaks at a rally in Logan W.Va. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., can be seen at the right.

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch Charles H. McKown, Jr., M.D., dean of Marshall University's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, introduces Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., during a meeting on health care reform Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010, at Marshall University.

Chris Harris/The Herald-Dispatch U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, left, and U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller have a laugh prior to speaking at the monthly Cabell County Democratic Women's Club meeting Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008, at Guyan Country Club.

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch Maria O'Reilly, left, Shin Okuno, and Masayo Okuno greet Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., during his visit to the Okuno International facility Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008, in Prichard.

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., visits the Westmoreland Senior Nutrition Site Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008, to discuss filing the appropriate forms to receive unclaimed economic stimulus rebates.

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller joins Tri-State Airport officials in announcing nonstop service to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on Allegiant Air Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007, during a luncheon at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington.

This Aug. 3, 2011 file photo shows Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. speaking on Capitol Hill in Washington. Rockefeller, who came to West Virginia as a young man from one of the world's richest families to work on antipoverty programs and remained in the state to build a political legacy, announced Friday he will not seek a sixth term. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

AP Photo/Susan Walsh

Senate Finance Committee member Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., during the markup of health care legislation on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009.

AP Photo/Harry Hamburg

Senate Finance Committee members, from left, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. , center,confer with committee chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 1,2009, as the committee continued its health care markup.

Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, left, speaks with A. Michael Perry during a luncheon held by Tri-State Airport officials at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007. Airport officials announced nonstop service to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on Allegiant Air.

AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., speaks at a memorial service for the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., at the Capitol in Charleston, W.Va., Friday, July 2, 2010.

The Herald-Dispatch Jay Rockefeller is shown in this undated file photo.

AP Photo

Then-West Virginia Gov. Jay Rockefeller and his wife Sharon are greeted by former President Jimmy Carter during a White House reception for governors, Jan. 21, 1977, in Washington. It was one of a series of parties that Carter planned for the day.

AP Photo

Former President Jimmy Carter gets a warm welcome from West Virginia first lady Sharon Rockefeller while her husband, then-Gov. Jay Rockefeller, looks on in Charleston, West Virginia on March 17, 1977.

AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler

Then-West Virginia Gov. John D. Rockefeller IV, leave the funeral for his father, John D. Rockefeller III in New York, with his arm around his mother Blanchette, July 13, 1978. The ceremony was at the Riverside Church, an interdenominational church built with funds donated by John III's father. The late Rockefeller was a philanthropist and leader in projects promoting international understanding. He died this week in an automobile accident. Others are unidentified.

The Herald-Dispatch In this 1976 photo shows the campaign headquarters for Jay Rockefeller, who was running for governor.

AP Photo

Democratic presidential hopeful Walter Mondale, right, chats with then-Gov. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and his wife, Sharon, just before a "Prelude to Victory" dinner in Washington at night, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 1983. More than 1,500 Democrats gathered for the $1,000-a-person, $10,000-per-table affair to raise money for party efforts in the 1984 elections.

AP Photo/Joe Marquette

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., gestures during a Capitol Hill news conference Wednesday Feb. 5, 1997, where he called for an increase in the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee's budget to carry through inquiry into the effect of the Gulf War syndromes on approximately 700,000 veterans who served in the Gulf War.

Photo courtesy of Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV's office

A young John Rockefeller reads to Michael Holstein in this undated photo from U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller's office.

Photo courtesy of Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV's office

A young John Rockefeller walks with Wheeling workers in this undated photo from U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller's office.

Win McNamee/Getty Images/courtesy of Sen. Jay Rockefeller's office

U.S. Sen.Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., addresses the assembled delegates during day three of the Democratic National Convention at the Pepsi Center August 27, 2008 in Denver, Colorado. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will be officially be nominated as the Democratic candidate for U.S. president on the last day of the four-day convention.

The Herald-Dispatch Jay Rockefeller and his wife, Sharon, 1968.

The Herald-Dispatch In this 1969 photo is U.S. Jay Rockefeller and his wife, Sharon.

The Herald-Dispatch Jay Rockefeller and his wife, Sharon, 1968.

The Herald-Dispatch Then West Virginia Secretary of State Jay Rockefeller catches a Frisbee in this 1972 file photo.

Toshiaki Taguchi, President, Toyota Motor North America, left, West Virginia Govenor Bob Wise and Senator Jay Rockefeller places a picture of the Lexus RX 300 on the Toyota Moto Manufacturing, West Virginia, INc. Sign after the announcement of the production of engines for the Lexus RX300 will be built for the first time out side of Japan at the Buffalo West Virginia Plant.

At left, Barboursville Mayor Paul Turman welcomes U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller at his arrival to the Barboursville Fire Department Thursday where Rockefeller met with emergency responders to discuss homeland security issues.

The Herald-Dispatch In this 1977 photo is Jay Rockefeller, who was then governor.