Florida Congressman Alcee Hastings (D) died Tuesday after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019, according to The Hill. He was 84 years old.
The late congressman is known for his start as a civil rights attorney who was nominated in 1979 by former President Jimmy Carter to serve as a federal judge in Florida. After serving as a federal judge for nearly a decade, Hastings was impeached by the House of Representatives and convicted by the Senate for bribery and perjury. As a result, Hastings became the sixth federal judge in the nation’s history to be removed from office by the Senate.
Rep. Hastings, however, didn’t allow the impeachment to stop him from continuing his career in politics. In 1992, he won a seat in the House of Representatives and represented South Florida for 15 terms while in Congress, making him the longest serving member of Congress to represent South Florida.
Many people around the nation are mourning this huge loss. Some took to twitter to remember Congressman Hastings’s life and legacy. “Rep. Alcee Hastings has departed us for that great assembly in Heaven,” Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) tweeted Tuesday morning. “He taught me a lot about public service and life. Rep. Hastings loved the people he served and championed the plight of the least, the lost and the left behind. May he forever Rest in Power.”
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison called Hastings a friend. “I’m heartbroken to hear this news! He was passionate, emotional, a straight & no chaser type of Member,” Harrison said. “He loved his constituents & he took time to teach young staffers from the bumps in life he experienced. #RIPAlcee you’ll be missed!”
Representative Val Demings (D-FL) said Congressman Hastings will be remembered as a trailblazer. “U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings served his constituents as a civil rights attorney, judge, and Dean of our Congressional delegation,” she said. “He changed the face of politics in FL and brought passion & unwavering dedication to the fight for justice. We are forever grateful for a life well lived.”