Former Senator Dead at 92

(UnitedVoice.com) – Lowell Palmer Weicker Jr. was elected to the US Senate in 1970. He served his state of Connecticut for nearly 20 years before moving on to another prominent role. Sadly, the former lawmaker has recently passed away.

On June 28, Weicker died at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown, Connecticut, at 92 years old. His family released a statement to the press informing them that the former senator’s death came after a struggle with a short illness.

Lowell Weicker, who died at 92 today, was one of the last truly liberal Republicans. A 3-term senator, he lost in 1988 in a race that saw his Dem opponent, then-CT AG Joe Lieberman, run to his right. In '90, Weicker staged a stunning comeback & became CT's gov as an independent: pic.twitter.com/8v1bJEnKNF

— Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) June 28, 2023

Before Weicker was a senator, he served as a one-term congressman. The Republican, who was considered a liberal-conservative, was known for his fierce opposition to former President Richard Nixon. In 1973, he was relatively unknown, but he took on a big role as a member of the Senate select committee investigating the Watergate scandal, which propelled him into the spotlight.

During the public hearings, Weicker became known for his attacks on Nixon. In his autobiography, “Maverick: A Life in Politics,” he said that he was not “hurt by Watergate”; instead, he was “made by it.”

Later in life, he said that he thought there were lessons Americans did not learn during Watergate, and one of those was that presidents could still violate the US Constitution.

Weicker and the Republican Party had a strained relationship because of his criticisms of Conservatives, including the Bush family. In 1988, he was defeated in his reelection race for Senate and began teaching at George Washington University Law School. Then in 1990, he announced his bid for governor as a candidate for the Connecticut Party.

The former senator won the gubernatorial race and went on to serve one term. He did not seek re-election.

In his personal life, Weicker was married three times and had five children. He married his third wife, Claudia, in 1984 and was still married to her when he passed away.