Former U.S. Rep. William Delahunt of Massachusetts has died at age 82

Longtime U.S. Rep. William D. Delahunt of Massachusetts, a Democratic stalwart who postponed his personal retirement from Washington to assist cross former President Barack Obama’s legislative agenda, has died following a long-term sickness, his household introduced.

Delahunt died Saturday at his residence in Quincy, Massachusetts, on the age of 82, information stories mentioned.

Delahunt served 14 years within the U.S. Home of Representatives, from 1997 to 2011, for Massachusetts’s tenth congressional district. He additionally was the Norfolk County district legal professional from 1975 to 1996 after serving within the Massachusetts Home of Representatives from 1973 to 1975.

The Delahunt household issued a press release Saturday saying he handed away “peacefully,” however didn’t disclose his particular explanation for dying, information stories mentioned.

“Whereas we mourn the lack of such an incredible individual, we additionally have a good time his exceptional life and his legacy of dedication, service, and inspiration,” the assertion mentioned. “We might all the time flip to him for knowledge, solace and amusing, and his absence leaves a gaping gap in our household and our hearts.”

Democratic U.S. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts lauded Delahunt’s lengthy public service as a legislator within the nation’s capital and a prosecutor within the county south of Boston.

“I met with Invoice in Quincy in February, and he was clear and as dedicated as ever to engaged on behalf of the South Shore and the individuals of Massachusetts,” Markey mentioned in a press release. “It’s a becoming honor that the door of the William D. Delahunt Norfolk County Courthouse opens each day in order that the individuals inside can do the arduous work of creating lives higher, as Invoice Delahunt did. The Commonwealth and the nation are higher for Invoice Delahunt’s imaginative and prescient and repair.”

President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela posted a press release on X, previously Twitter, mourning Delahunt’s passing. As a member of Congress, Delahunt brokered a 2005 cope with then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to acquire heating oil for low-income Massachusetts residents, in line with information stories. Delahunt additionally attended Chavez’s state funeral in Caracas in March 2013.

Delahunt stepped down from the U.S. Home in January 2011. He advised The Boston Globe he had beforehand thought-about retirement, however fellow veteran Bay State legislator Sen. Edward M. Kennedy satisfied him he was wanted to assist cross Obama’s legislative initiatives on the time.

Delahunt was an early Obama backer, changing into the primary member of the Massachusetts congressional delegation to endorse the Illinois senator’s presidential bid, in line with reporting by The Patriot Ledger, the newspaper in Delahunt’s hometown, Quincy.

Asserting his retirement in March 2010, Delahunt mentioned Kennedy’s dying the earlier 12 months turned his ideas to discovering time for priorities past Washington.

“It grew to become clear that I wished to spend my time, the time that I’ve left, with my household, with my buddies and with my family members,” Delahunt mentioned.