Jay Rockefeller | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| United States Senator fromWest Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 15, 1985 – January 3, 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jennings Randolph | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Shelley Moore Capito | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 29thGovernor of West Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 17, 1977 – January 14, 1985 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Arch A. Moore Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Arch A. Moore Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22ndSecretary of State of West Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 13, 1969 – January 15, 1973 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governor | Arch A. Moore Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Robert D. Bailey Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Hike Heiskell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of theWest Virginia House of Delegates fromKanawha County | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office December 1, 1966 – December 1, 1968 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | 12 members
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| Succeeded by | 4 members
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | John Davison Rockefeller IV (1937-06-18)June 18, 1937 (age 88) New York City,New York, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Republican (before 1966) Democratic (1966–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 4, includingValerie andJustin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent(s) | John Rockefeller (father) Blanchette Hooker (mother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | SeeRockefeller family | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Harvard University (BA) International Christian University Yale University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jay Rockefeller at aSenate Intelligence Committee hearing on reauthorizing thePatriot Act. Recorded April 27, 2005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Davison "Jay"Rockefeller IV[1] (born June 18, 1937) is an American retired politician who served as aUnited States senator fromWest Virginia from 1985 to 2015. He was first elected to the Senate in 1984, while in office asgovernor of West Virginia (1977–1985). Rockefeller moved toEmmons, West Virginia, to serve as aVolunteers in Service to America (VISTA) worker in 1964 and was first elected to public office as a member of theWest Virginia House of Delegates (1966–1968). Rockefeller was later electedsecretary of state of West Virginia (1968–1973) and was president ofWest Virginia Wesleyan College (1973–1975). He became the state's senior U.S. senator when the long-serving SenatorRobert Byrd died in June 2010.
Rockefeller was the only serving politician of theRockefeller family during his tenure in theUnited States Senate, and the only one to have held office as aDemocrat, in what has been atraditionallyRepublican family.[2] He did not seek reelection in2014 and was succeeded by RepublicanU.S. RepresentativeShelley Moore Capito.[3]
He served on the powerfulSenate Finance Committee, including as chairman of the Subcommittee on Medicare and Long-term Care (later Health Care). He became a leading spokesman for healthcare reform, advocating for improved and modernizedMedicare, expanded access to healthcare, and increased health coverage for children. He authored theChildren's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), that has provided health care coverage for millions of poor children. He played a crucial role in the passage of theAffordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, advocating for a public insurance option. Rockefeller was also a major player regarding veterans' issues, serving on theVeterans' Affairs Committee for his entire Senate career, including multiple terms as its chairman. He focused on expanding research and treatment for service-related illnesses like Gulf War Illness andAgent Orange. He worked to reform the Veterans Affairs healthcare system.[4][5]
John Davison Rockefeller IV was born atNew York Hospital inManhattan toJohn Davison Rockefeller III (1906–1978) andBlanchette Ferry Hooker (1909–1992), 26 days after the death of his patrilineal great-grandfather,John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937). He is a grandson ofJohn D. Rockefeller Jr. Jay graduated fromPhillips Exeter Academy in 1955. After his junior year atHarvard University, he spent three years studying Japanese at theInternational Christian University inTokyo.[6] He graduated from Harvard in 1961 with aBachelor of Arts degree in Far Eastern languages and history. He attendedYale University and did graduate work in Oriental studies and studied the Chinese language.[6][7][8]
After college, Rockefeller worked for thePeace Corps in Washington, D.C., under PresidentJohn F. Kennedy, where he developed a friendship with Attorney GeneralRobert F. Kennedy and worked as an assistant to Peace Corps DirectorSargent Shriver. He served as the operations director for the Corps' largest overseas program, in thePhilippines. He worked for a brief time in theBureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.[8] He continued his public service in 1964–1965 in theVolunteers in Service to America (VISTA), under PresidentLyndon B. Johnson, during which time he moved toEmmons, West Virginia.[9]
Rockefeller was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1966. In the summer of 1968, after New York SenatorRobert F. Kennedy's assassination, Rockefeller's uncle, then-Governor of New YorkNelson Rockefeller, offered him the open seat. He refused. He was elected to the office ofWest Virginia Secretary of State in 1968. He won the Democratic nomination for governor in1972 but was defeated in the general election by the Republican incumbent,Arch A. Moore Jr. Rockefeller then served as president ofWest Virginia Wesleyan College from 1973 to 1975.[10]
Rockefeller was electedgovernor of West Virginia in1976 and re-elected in1980. He served as governor when manufacturing plants and coal mines were closing as the national recession of the early 1980s hit West Virginia particularly hard. Between 1982 and 1984, West Virginia's unemployment rate hovered between 15 and 20 percent.[11][12]
In1984, he was elected to the United States Senate, narrowly defeating businessmanJohn Raese asRonald Reagan easily carried the state in thepresidential election. As in his 1980 gubernatorial campaign against Arch Moore, Rockefeller spent over $12 million to win a Senate seat. He was re-elected in1990,1996,2002 and2008 by substantial margins. He was chair of theCommittee on Veterans' Affairs (1993–1995; January 3 to 20, 2001; and June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003). Rockefeller was the chair of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (2009–2015).
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In April 1992, he was the Democratic Party's finance chairman and considered running for the presidency, but pulled out after consulting with friends and advisers. He went on to strongly endorseBill Clinton as the Democratic nominee.[13]
He chaired the prominent SenateIntelligence Committee (retiring in January 2009), from which he commented frequently on thewar in Iraq.
In 1993, Rockefeller became the principal Senate supporter, withTed Kennedy, behind Bill andHillary Clinton'ssweeping health care reform package, liaising closely with theFirst Lady, opening up his mansion next to Rock Creek Park for its first strategy meeting. The reform was subsequently defeated by an alliance between theBusiness Roundtable and a small-business coalition.[14]
In 2002, Rockefeller made an official visit to several Middle Eastern countries, during which he discussed his personal views regarding United States military intentions with the leaders of those countries. In October of that year, Rockefeller strongly expressed his concern forSaddam Hussein's allegedweapons of mass destruction program while addressing the U.S. Senate:
There has been some debate over how "imminent" a threat Iraq poses. I do believe that Iraq poses an imminent threat, but I also believe that afterSeptember 11, that question is increasingly outdated. It is in the nature of these weapons, and the way they are targeted against civilian populations, that documented capability and demonstrated intent may be the only warning we get. To insist on further evidence could put some of our fellow Americans at risk. Can we afford to take that chance? We cannot![15]
In November 2005 during a TV interview, Rockefeller stated,
I took a trip ... in January 2002 toSaudi Arabia,Jordan andSyria, and I told each of the heads of state that it was my view thatGeorge Bush had already made up his mind to go to war against Iraq, that that was a predetermined set course that had taken shape shortly after 9/11.
Rockefeller noted that the comment expresses his personal opinion, and that he was not privy to any confidential information that such action was planned.[16] On October 11, 2002, he was one of 77 senators who voted for theIraq Resolution authorizing the Iraq invasion.
In February 2010, regarding President Obama, Rockefeller said,
He says 'I'm for clean coal,' and then he says it in his speeches, but he doesn't say it in here ... And he doesn't say it in the minds of my own people. And he's beginning to not be believable to me.
Rockefeller faced criticism from West Virginia coal companies, which claimed that he was out of touch.[17]
Rockefeller became the seniorU.S. senator from West Virginia when Robert Byrd died in June 2010, after serving in the senate with Rockefeller for 25 years.
In July 2011 Rockefeller was prominent in calling for U.S. agencies to investigate whether allegedphone hacking atNews Corporation's newspapers in the United Kingdom had targeted American victims of theSeptember 11 attacks.[18][19] Rockefeller andBarbara Boxer subsequently wrote to the oversight committee ofDow Jones & Company (a subsidiary of News Corporation) to request that it conduct an investigation into the hiring of former CEOLes Hinton, and whether any current or former executives had knowledge of or played a role in phone hacking.[20][21]
He announced on January 11, 2013, that he would not run for a sixth term.[3] On March 25, 2013, Rockefeller announced his support forgay marriage.[22]
In November 2014, Rockefeller donated his senatorial archives to the West Virginia University Libraries and theWest Virginia & Regional History Center.[23] The archival collection documents his 30-year career in the United States Senate.[24]
According to the website GovTrack, Rockefeller missed 541 of 9,992 roll call votes from January 1985 to July 2014. This amounted to 5.4 percent, which was worse than the median of 2.0 percent among senators serving as of July 2014.[25]
Rockefeller, along with his son Charles,[26] is a trustee of New York'sAsia Society, which was established by his father in 1956. He is also a member of theCouncil on Foreign Relations,[27] a nonprofitthink tank previously chaired by his uncle,David Rockefeller. As a senator, he voted against the 1993North American Free Trade Agreement, which was heavily backed by David Rockefeller.
Rockefeller served on the following committees in the112th Congress:
Rockefeller initially supported the use of force based upon the evidence presented by the intelligence community that linkedIraq to nuclear ambitions. After theNiger uranium forgeries, in which theBush administration gave forged documents to U.N. weapons inspectors to support allegations against Iraq, Rockefeller started an investigation into the falsification and exaggeration of evidence for the war. Through the investigations, he became an outspoken critic of Bush and the Iraq war. As chair of the Intelligence committee, he presided over a critical report on the administration'shandling of intelligence and war operations.
Rockefeller and theSenate Select Committee on Intelligence released the final two pieces of the Phase II report on Iraq war intelligence on June 5, 2008.[28] Rockefeller said, "The president and his advisers undertook a relentless public campaign in the aftermath of the attacks to use the war against Al Qaeda as a justification for overthrowing Saddam Hussein."[29]
In July 2007, Rockefeller announced that he planned to introduce legislation before the August congressional recess that would give the FCC the power to regulate TV violence. According to the edition of July 16, 2007, of Broadcasting & Cable, the new law would apply to both broadcast as well as cable and satellite programming. This would mark the first time that the FCC would be given power to regulate such a vast spectrum of content, which would include almost everything except material produced strictly for direct internet use. An aide to the senator said that his staff had also been carefully formulating the bill in such a way that it would be able to pass constitutional scrutiny by the courts.
In 2007, Rockefeller began steering the Senate Intelligence Committee to grantretroactive immunity to telecommunications companies who were accused of unlawfully assisting theNational Security Agency (NSA) in monitoring the communications of American citizens.[30]
This was an about-face of sorts for Senator Rockefeller, who had hand-written a letter to Vice PresidentDick Cheney in 2003 expressing his concerns about the legality of NSA's warrantless wire-tapping program. Some have attributed this change of heart to the spike in contributions from telecommunications companies to the senator just as these companies began lobbying Congress to protect them from lawsuits regarding their cooperation with theNational Security Agency.[31]
Between 2001 and the start of this lobbying effort, AT&T employees had contributed only $300 to the senator.[31] After the lobbying effort began, AT&T employees and executives donated $19,350 in three months.[31] The senator has pledged not to rely on his vast fortune to fund his campaigns,[32] and the AT&T contributions represent about 2% of the money he raised during the previous year.[31]
Although publicly deploring torture, Rockefeller was one of two congressional Democrats briefed onwaterboarding and other secret CIA practices in the early years of the Bush administration, as well as the existence of taped evidence of such interrogations (later destroyed).[33] In December 2007, Rockefeller opposed a special counsel or commission inquiry into the destruction of the tapes, stating "it is the job of the intelligence committees to do that."[34]
On September 28, 2006, Rockefeller voted with a largely Republican majority to suspendhabeas corpus provisions for anyone deemed by the Executive Branch an "unlawful combatant," barring them from challenging their detentions in court. Rockefeller's vote gave a retroactive, nine-year immunity to U.S. officials who authorized, ordered, or committed acts of torture and abuse, permitting the use of statements obtained through torture to be used in military tribunals so long as the abuse took place by December 30, 2005.[35]Rockefeller's vote authorized the President to establish permissible interrogation techniques and to "interpret the meaning and application" of internationalGeneva Convention standards, so long as the coercion fell short of "serious" bodily or psychological injury.[36][37] The bill became law on October 17, 2006.
On February 29, 2008, he endorsedBarack Obama for president of the United States, citing Obama's judgment on the Iraq war and national security issues, and calling him the right candidate to lead America during a time of instability at home and abroad. This endorsement stood in stark contrast to the results of the state primary that was easily won byHillary Clinton.
On April 7, 2008, in an interview forThe Charleston Gazette, Rockefeller criticizedJohn McCain's Vietnam experience:
McCain was a fighter pilot, who dropped laser-guided missiles from 35,000 feet. He was long gone when they hit. What happened when they get to the ground? He doesn't know. You have to care about the lives of people. McCain never gets into those issues.[38][39]
The McCain campaign called for an apology from Senator Rockefeller and forBarack Obama, whom Rockefeller endorsed, to denounce the comment. Rockefeller later apologized for the comment[40] and the Obama campaign issued a statement expressing Obama's disagreement with the comment. SenatorLindsey Graham (R) of South Carolina noted that "John didn't drop bombs from 35,000 feet. ... the bombs were not laser guided (in the 1960 and 1970s)".[41]
On April 1, 2009, Rockefeller introduced theCybersecurity Act of 2009 - S.773 before Congress. Citing the vulnerability of the Internet to cyber-attacks, the bill makes provisions to turn the Department of Commerce into a public-private clearing house to share potential threat information with the owners of large private networks. It authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to sequester any information deemed necessary, without regard to any law.[42]
It would also authorizes the president to declare an undefined "cyber-emergency" which would allow them to shut down any and all traffic to what they considers to be a compromised server.[43]
On June 1, 2011, Rockefeller sponsored the fourth West Virginia Homeland Security Summit and Expo. The event ran two days and focused on homeland security with Rockefeller emphasizing cybersecurity.[44]
In 1997, Rockefeller co-authored theChildren's Health Insurance Program[45] (CHIP) – a program aimed at giving low-income children health insurance coverage. Annually, CHIP has been successfully covering about 6 million children, who otherwise would have been uninsured. On September 30, 2007, the program expired, requiring Congress to reauthorize the legislation. On August 2, 2007, the vote for reauthorization passed legislation by a strong, bipartisan vote (68–31).
Rockefeller authored successful legislation that required the Department of Veterans Affairs, for the first time, to provide a wide range of extended care services—such as home health care, adult day care, respite care, and hospice care—to veterans who use the VA health care system.
Rockefeller is also a strong supporter of the fight against Alzheimer's and neurological disease. The Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute (BRNI)[46] was founded in Morgantown in 1999 by Rockefeller and his family to help advance medical and scientific understanding of Alzheimer's and other diseases of the brain. BRNI is the world's only non-profit institute dedicated exclusively to the study of both human memory and diseases of memory. Its primary mission is to accelerate neurological discoveries from the lab, including diagnostic tools and treatments, to the clinic to benefit patients who suffer from neurological and psychiatric diseases. A $30 million state-of-the-art BRNI research facility was opened at West Virginia University in Fall 2008. The approximately 80,000 square feet (7,400 m2) three-level building will house 100 scientists by 2012.[47]
On Healthcare Reform, Rockefeller has been a proponent of apublic option, fighting with some Democrats on the finance committee, in particularMax Baucus, the chairman of the committee, who contended that there was not enough support for a public option to gather the 60 votes needed to prevent a filibuster. Baucus asked repeatedly for Rockefeller to stop speaking on the issue.[48]
On September 29, 2009, Rockefeller offered an amendment to theBaucus Health Bill in the Senate Finance Committee to add a public option. The amendment was rejected 15 to 8, with five Democrats (Baucus,Kent Conrad,Blanche Lincoln,Tom Carper,Bill Nelson) and all Republicans voting no.[49]
Rockefeller supported President Barack Obama's health reform legislation; he voted for thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009,[50] and he voted for theHealth Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.[51]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jay Rockefeller | 36,789 | 4.63 | |
| Republican | Cleo S. Jones | 32,901 | 4.14 | |
| Republican | Walter W. Carey | 31,924 | 4.02 | |
| Democratic | George K.W. Woo | 31,492 | 3.96 | |
| Democratic | Ivor F. Boiarsky | 30,802 | 3.88 | |
| Republican | Lon Clark Kinder | 29,992 | 3.77 | |
| Republican | Paul Zakaib | 29,947 | 3.77 | |
| Republican | James Clay Jeter | 29,721 | 3.74 | |
| Democratic | Si Galperin | 29,429 | 3.70 | |
| Republican | Leo G. Kopelman | 29,266 | 3.68 | |
| Republican | Alfred A. Lilly | 28,746 | 3.62 | |
| Republican | Thomas E. Potter | 28,704 | 3.61 | |
| Republican | Eric Nelson Sr. | 28,333 | 3.57 | |
| Republican | Russell L. Davisson | 28,331 | 3.57 | |
| Democratic | Thomas A. Knight | 28,319 | 3.56 | |
| Republican | Charles Young | 28,043 | 3.53 | |
| Republican | James W. Thornhill | 27,765 | 3.49 | |
| Republican | William Ricks | 27,480 | 3.46 | |
| Republican | Blanche Horan | 27,458 | 3.46 | |
| Democratic | Jack L. Pauley | 26,434 | 3.33 | |
| Democratic | J.F. Bedell Jr. | 26,222 | 3.30 | |
| Democratic | Kelly L. Castleberry | 26,125 | 3.29 | |
| Democratic | Jesse S. Barker | 26,030 | 3.28 | |
| Democratic | Dempsey Gibson | 25,888 | 3.26 | |
| Democratic | Fred L. Scott | 25,616 | 3.22 | |
| Democratic | James K. Thomas Jr. | 24,967 | 3.14 | |
| Democratic | Pat Board Jr. | 24,559 | 3.09 | |
| Democratic | L.E. Thompson | 23,224 | 2.92 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jay Rockefeller | 433,142 | 60.92 | |
| Republican | John S. Callebs | 277,877 | 39.08 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Arch A. Moore Jr. | 423,817 | 54.74 | |
| Democratic | Jay Rockefeller | 350,462 | 45.26 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jay Rockefeller | 495,661 | 66.15 | |
| Republican | Cecil H. Underwood | 253,420 | 33.82 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jay Rockefeller | 401,863 | 54.15 | |
| Republican | Arch A. Moore Jr. | 337,240 | 45.44 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jay Rockefeller | 374,233 | 51.82 | |
| Republican | John Raese | 344,680 | 47.73 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jay Rockefeller | 276,234 | 68.32 | |
| Republican | John C. Yoder | 128,071 | 31.68 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jay Rockefeller | 456,526 | 76.65 | |
| Republican | Betty Burks | 139,088 | 23.35 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jay Rockefeller | 275,281 | 63.11 | |
| Republican | Jay Wolfe | 160,902 | 36.89 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jay Rockefeller | 447,985 | 63.71 | |
| Republican | Jay Wolfe | 255,074 | 36.27 | |
Since 1967, Rockefeller has been married toSharon Lee Percy, the chief executive officer ofWETA-TV, the leadingPBS station in the Washington, D.C., area, which broadcasts such programs asPBS NewsHour andWashington Week. She is a twin daughter of SenatorCharles Harting Percy (1919–2011) and Jeanne Valerie Dickerson.
Jay and Sharon have four children:
The Rockefellers reside in Northwest Washington, D.C.,[61] and maintain permanent residence inCharleston, West Virginia. They have a ranch in theGrand Teton National Park inJackson Hole,Wyoming. PresidentBill Clinton, a friend of Rockefeller's, and the Clinton family vacationed at the ranch in August 1995.[62]
Rockefeller is related to several Republican Party supporters and former officeholders: his paternal grandmotherAbigail Greene "Abby" Aldrich (1874–1948) was a daughter ofRhode Island SenatorNelson Wilmarth Aldrich (1841–1915).John Davison Rockefeller Jr. (1874–1960) and Abby's youngest son was banker David Rockefeller (1915–2017). David's brotherWinthrop Rockefeller (1912–1973) served as Governor of Arkansas (1967–71). Winthrop and David's brotherNelson Aldrich Rockefeller (1908–1979) served as Governor of New York (1959–73) and as Vice President of the United States (1974–77) under PresidentGerald Ford. Jay is also a first cousin of Arkansas Lt. GovernorWinthrop Paul Rockefeller (1948–2006).
National Intelligence Distinguished Public Service Medal, 2009
Grand CordonOrder of the Rising Sun (Japan), 2013.My birth certificate says John Rockefeller... I wrote my grandfather and asked [him for] permission to change my name to John D. Rockefeller IV
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Textbooks from Wikibooks
Resources from Wikiversity| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Secretary of State of West Virginia 1969–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of West Virginia 1977–1985 | Succeeded by Arch A. Moore Jr. |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of West Virginia 1972,1976,1980 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Jennings Randolph | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromWest Virginia (Class 2) 1984,1990,1996,2002,2008 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 2) from West Virginia 1985–2015 Served alongside:Robert Byrd,Carte Goodwin,Joe Manchin | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Veterans' Affairs Committee 1993–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Veterans' Affairs Committee 2001 | Succeeded by Arlen Specter |
| Chair of theSenate Veterans' Affairs Committee 2001–2003 | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Intelligence Committee 2007–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Commerce Committee 2009–2015 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Senator | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Senator | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Senator |
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| Commerce (1825–1947) | ||
| Interstate Commerce (1887–1947) | ||
| Interstate and Foreign Commerce/Commerce (1947–1977) | ||
| Commerce, Science, and Transportation (1977–present) | ||
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Chairs of theUnited States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs | ||
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