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Article: Henry Hyde, honorable congressman
- Article from:
- Sun-Journal Lewiston, Me.
- Article date:
- December 2, 2007
CopyrightCopyright 2007 Sun-Journal Lewiston, Me. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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We haven't lacked recently for congressmen who have disgraced
Congress. Now, we've lost one who ennobled it.
Henry Hyde has died at age 83. He represented a suburban Chicago
district in the House for 32 years before retiring last year in
failing health. When political commentators lament the passing of a
Golden Age in Congress, they usually are inventing an imagined past.
But Henry Hyde really did embody a set of political qualities that
have become rare in an age of hyperpartisanship and YouTube debates.
He had principles, but was never a fanatic. He was partisan, but
never a bomb-thrower. He defended traditional values, but never was
preachy. He was respected by both sides because he knew ...