
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's death was confirmed by Sen. Dick Durbin's office this morning.
Rostenkowski, 82, represented Chicago's Northwest Side in the U.S. House from 1959 to 1995.
His seniority in the House earned him the chairmanship of the powerful Ways and Means Committee in 1981. He held the post until 1994, when he was unseated by an upstart Republican just months after being indicted in a wide-ranging case accusing him of everything from accepting kickbacks to maintaining slush funds.
He pleaded guilty to mail fraud in 1996 and served about 15 months in prison. He maintained his innocence throughout the rest of his life, and his official record was also wiped clean just before Christmas 2000 when he was pardoned by President Bill Clinton.
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