Henry Hyde passes away at the age of 83

Thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Via AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) – Former Rep. Henry Hyde, the Illinois Republican who steered the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton and championed government restrictions on the funding of abortions, has died. He was 83.

[…]

Hyde retired from Congress at the end of the last session. Days before leaving office, President Bush presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The White House praised Hyde, a leading foe of abortion, as a “powerful defender of life” and an advocate for a strong national defense.

“Chairman Hyde was a pioneer in the effort to protect human life, and because of his tireless efforts, there are thousands of people living around the world today who remember his service to mankind,” said Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, who heads the conservative Republican Study Committee.

Here’s the Chicago Tribune’s write-up:

Former U.S. Congressman Henry Hyde, who led the impeachment effort against President Bill Clinton and also sponsored a high-profile anti-abortion amendment, died today.

The news was confirmed by the office of House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio). Hyde, 83, had triple-bypass heart surgery in July and had been in failing health.

He was a 32-year veteran of the House and was known for his soaring speeches and high intellect. But he was also a tough Republican partisan who rose to lead two key House committees, Judiciary and International Relations.

Hyde represented a GOP district in suburban Chicago and cut his teeth on the rough-and-tumble politics of the city. He served in the state legislature before being elected to Congress in 1974. Not long after, he sponsored the Hyde Amendment, which essentially banned federally funded abortions. It passed in 1976.

During the impeachment of Clinton, Hyde pushed the charges against Clinton through his panel in a bitterly partisan fight. Even though the House approved the impeachment charges, the Senate later refused to remove Clinton from office.

Shortly before the 2006 elections that marked his chosen exit from political life, Hyde echoed Gen. Douglas MacArthur when he told a gathering of conservative friends and admirers, “When I cross the river for the last time, my thoughts will be of the House, the House, the House.”

Hyde loved a good cigar and good food — and his large bulk made him appear to be a cartoonist’s dream of a congressman. Earlier in life, he had been a stand-up comic, and he was known for his sharp wit.

We lost a good man today. May he RIP.