Former Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter died Sunday after battling non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, according to a family statement. He was 82.
Specter, known for being outspoken in the United States Congress, came under scrutiny in 2009 when he switched parties after being a longtime Republican.
U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson issued a statement from Washington D.C. on Monday on Specter’s passing. Thompson is a representative of Pennsylvania’s fifth district, which includes Centre County.
‘My wife Penny and I are saddened by the passing of Arlen Specter. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones as we mourn the loss of a dedicated public servantand tireless advocate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,’ Thompson said.
President Barack Obama had kind words to say as he remembered the longtime politician in a statement on Sunday.
‘Arlen Specter was always a fighter,’ Obama said. ‘From his days stamping out corruption as a prosecutor in Philadelphia to his three decades of service in the Senate, Arlen was fiercely independent — never putting party or ideology ahead of the people he was chosen to serve.’
A funeral service is scheduled Tuesday at Har Zion Temple in Penn Valley and will be open to the public.
