John Rockefeller came to the Senate in 1984. His family is prominent in east coast politics and industry. Mr. Rockefeller is a Harvard graduate who went on to be a VISTA volunteer, a member of West Virginia's House of Delegates, West Virginia secretary of state, president of West Virginia Wesleyan College and the state's governor. He is on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Finance Committees and is Veterans' Affairs chairman.
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Like its House counterpart, the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee's objective is to act as an advocate for improved veterans' benefits. Health care and job counseling for veterans are of particular concern to the two bodies. Created in 1971, the Senate committee has been considered more sympathetic toward Vietnam era veterans than the House committee.
