Former Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar died Sunday at the age of 87.
Lugar, a Republican who distinguished himself for his bipartisanship and foreign policy expertise, served Indiana in the Senate for 36 years, from 1977 to 2013. He was chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2003 to 2007. He died from complications arising from chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, the Lugar Center announced.
The Rhodes scholar was known for his soft-spoken demeanor and ability to work across the aisle on complicated issues, such as keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists after the end of the Cold War.
Lugar used that foreign policy expertise to attempt a 1996 run for president. His slogan was “nuclear security and fiscal sanity,” but the campaign failed to gain traction and bowed out early on in the primary season. Bob Dole went on to lock up the GOP nomination, but lost the general election to former President Bill Clinton.
Lugar’s lost his final election contest in 2012 to Republican primary challenger Richard Mourdock, a Tea Party candidate who lost the general election.
In 2013, then-President Barack Obama presented Lugar with the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “Dick Lugar's decency, his commitment to bipartisan problem solving, stand as a model of what public service ought to be,” Obama said at the time.
Lugar was well-known for working with former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., to craft the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which sought to dismantle weapons of mass destruction from former Soviet states so that the weapons wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. Nunn thanked Lugar for his service Sunday. “Our nation has lost an extraordinary statesman who made the world a safer and better place. I have lost a wonderful friend and trusted partnerm" he said. “Dick Lugar treated every person with dignity and respect. This generation and future generations can learn much from his example in the political world and in life."
Prior to his time in national politics, Lugar served as mayor of Indianapolis, Ind., from 1968 to 1976. He was recognized by the current mayor in a pair of tweets.
"[Lugar] understood that progress could only occur when good ideas and good people came together -- from all sides of the political landscape. And he demonstrated a commitment to country over party, community over self, that is almost unparalleled in today's polarized world," Mayor Joe Hogsett said.
He understood that progress could only occur when good ideas and good people came together -- from all sides of the political landscape. And he demonstrated a commitment to country over party, community over self, that is almost unparalleled in today's polarized world. pic.twitter.com/5kc3xOkXmD
— Mayor Joe Hogsett (@IndyMayorJoe) April 28, 2019
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., also praised Lugar for his dedication to bipartisanship. "Dick Lugar personified the thoughtful bipartisanship so much missing in America today. He will be missed," Schumer tweeted.
"Saddened by the news that Senator Richard Lugar has passed away. He served our country honorably in the Navy, and he represented Indiana proudly for decades in the Senate. Please keep his family in your prayers," Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweeted.
Saddened by the news that Senator Richard Lugar has passed away.
He served our country honorably in the Navy, and he represented Indiana proudly for decades in the Senate.
Please keep his family in your prayers.
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) April 28, 2019
Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., and a presidential hopeful, also saluted Lugar. "America has lost a true statesman in Dick Lugar. A great mayor, senator, and mentor, he made the world safer, stood up for better foreign policy, and knew how to work across the aisle," he said. "He was never too important to make time for a young Hoosier public servant of either party. And I have never seen a Senator’s office so filled with books."
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said "the world weeps" over Lugar's death. "He was an officer and gentleman, father and faith leader, a Mayor and Senator, a diplomat and legendary role model to millions. @FLJanetHolcomb and I are keeping Mrs. Lugar and their wonderful family in our prayers and ask all those touched by his service to join us," he said in a string of tweets.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/former-sen-dick-lugar-of-indiana-dies-at-87
2019-04-28 17:09:00Z
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