Former Rep. Rostenkowski Dead
The Chicago Tribune reports the death of former congressman Dan Rostenkowski:
Dan Rostenkowski, an old-style Chicago ward boss who became one of the nation's most powerful legislators during the Reagan era before a stunning fall to corruption charges that left him branded a political anachronism, died today.
Rostenkowski, 82, was suffering from cancer and had been spending most of his time at his summer home in Powers Lake, Wis. He died there this morning, according to members of the Illinois congressional delegation. He represented Chicago's Northwest Side in the U.S. House from 1959 to 1995.
A longtime Democratic committeeman for the 32nd Ward, Rostenkowski was a classic meat-and-potatoes politician whose blunt and plain-spoken approach charmed both Washington elites and his Polish neighbors on the Northwest Side.
A protégé of the late Mayor Richard J. Daley, he was known for years as Daley's man in Washington, focusing on parochial projects good for Chicago. But he took on national stature as a leader of the loyal opposition during Ronald Reagan's presidency.
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