Former senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, one of the nation’s most durable political figures, who during three decades in the Senate became known for his command of constitutional law, died of cancer Oct. 14 at his home in Philadelphia. He was 82.
His son Shanin Specter confirmed his death to the Associated Press.
Sen. Specter was long a voice of Republican moderation, but he handed Democrats a supermajority in the Senate by switching parties in 2009. He lost the Democratic primary the next year in an anti-incumbency movement that swept many veteran politicians from office. He had also exposed himself to charges of political opportunism by changing his party allegiance.
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Blessings to the family. And to Mr. Specter, thank you, for a life of Public Service
AnotherSlyfox: After a life of public service, Rest in heavenly peace, Mr. Specter.
(CNN) — Former U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, who embodied dying breed of liberal Republicanism switching to the Democratic Party at the twilight of his political career, died after a lengthy battle with cancer, his family announced Sunday.
Specter died of complications from non-Hodgkins Lymphoma on Sunday morning at his home in Philadelphia, his family said. He was 82.
The veteran Pennsylvania senator had overcome numerous serious illnesses over the past two decades, including a brain tumor and non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He had been in the public eye from the 1960s, when he first gained attention as a member of the Warren Commission.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/14/politics/obit-specter/index.html
RIP Senator Arlen Specter!