Former Republican U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert died over the weekend at the age of 84.
Hastert died at his home due to natural causes, according to the Kendall County, Illinois, Coroner’s Office.
The former Republican representative from Northern Illinois served in Congress from 1987 until he resigned in November 2007, representing Illinois’s 14th Congressional District for two decades. Hastert served as speaker of the House from 1999 to 2007 until Republicans fell out of the majority; he was the longest-serving Republican speaker of the House in U.S. history.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin for the Northern District of Illinois sentenced the former speaker to 15 months in federal prison and a $250,000 fine in April 2016 on allegations that he was a “serial child molester” while serving as a high school wrestling coach. Hastert was also federally charged with lying to the FBI and illegally structuring bank withdrawal statements.
FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER DENNIS HASTERT SETTLES CHILD ABUSE PAYMENTS LAWSUIT
Hastert is the only House speaker in U.S. history to serve in federal prison. He served 13 months in a federal prison in Minnesota before he was released early in July 2017.
House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) succeeded Hastert as speaker of the House in 2007.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
