(CNN) - Aviation gave and aviation took away throughout Ted Stevens' adult life.
The former U.S. senator, who died with several other people aboard a plane that crashed Monday night near Dillingham, Alaska, was a decorated Army Air Corps pilot during World War II, and the international airport in Anchorage, Alaska, was renamed in his honor in 2000.
Stevens survived the crash of a Learjet at that airport in 1978, but his first wife, Ann, and four other people perished. He remarried in 1980.
Often re-elected to the Senate with a share of the vote approaching 80 percent, Stevens served 40 years and 10 days and was the longest-serving Republican senator in U.S. history. (Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina was a Democrat for part of his 47-year tenure.)
From CNN Politics
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Rest in Peace, Senator. Your work in this world is done.
God bless his family and our country
Very sad day in Alaska
Sad...losing bid for re-election and later proven to be innocent
God Bless Your Family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Rest in peace Ted...
... you will be remembered for your ridiculous speech defending the bridge to nowhere that was going to be named after you...
Tragic news from the tubes today.
may not have always agreed with you, but you made decisions to the best of our ability. thank you for serving your country. rip.
Oh PLEASE tell me that Sarah Palin was on the plane too!!!!!
rest in peace
I never cared for the man or his politics, but I feel badly that he should pass this way. Rest in peace, Senator.
Sometimes karma ain't so instant.
Too bad it wasn't Palin......
My condolences to his family. I disagreed with his politics, but he was loved and should be remembered as a tireless advocate for his state, a state that I personally like quite a bit. And, politics aside Dems, ya gotta admit the Hulk tie was pretty awesome.
I hope Democrats have the good sense not to speak ill of the man who has passed away within the last 24 hours.
RIP Uncle Ted...Condolences to the families of the lost and the state of Alaska.
GOOD RIDDENS!!!! this guy was as corrupt as they come. he was just another puppet for big oil. Rot in hell Ted Stevens, you earned it!
Our Prayers got out for Senator Stevens's family at this time. May GOD bless and keep you through this difficult time.
Too bad Palin wasn't on that plane!
My condolences to Mr. Steven's family & friends.
600 comments in the CNN headline story wishing that Palin was on the crashed plane, and saying that they're glad he's dead. Liberals and Democrats are the REAL party of "NO."
NO:
No Class
No Couthe
No Tolerance
No Ethics
No Honesty
"...Stevens was convicted of seven counts of making false statements on Senate financial disclosure forms. The jury found Stevens failed to report about $250,000 in gifts and renovations to his house in Alaska between 1999 and 2006, paid for by the head of a large oil-services company."
Of course the media is quick to forget this small little detail since the federal judge "set aside" the conviction.
Republicans like to falsely and hypocritically rail about term limits, pork barrel and deficits. But no one was more of a porker than Senator-for-Life Ted Stevens. That is Ted Stevens' legacy.