(WAVE/LEX 18) — Former Kentucky Sen. Walter “Dee” Huddleston has died, according to his son Steve. He was 92.
WAVE reports that Steve Huddleston confirmed that his father died Tuesday morning in Warsaw, Kentucky.
Steve Huddleston said his father was not ill and died of old age.
Funeral plans have not been set.
Huddleston, a Democrat, served as a U.S. senator from Kentucky from 1973 to 1985. He was succeeded by Republican Mitch McConnell, who is now the Senate Majority Leader.
McConnell issued a statement expressing condolences and praising Huddleston’s life and work.
“With a serious approach to the issues and a constant support for our agriculture, Dee earned the respect of his colleagues and Kentuckians throughout the Commonwealth,” McConnell said. “When we each had the opportunity to share our visions for Kentucky’s future in 1984, I experienced Dee’s tenacity, competitiveness, and skill firsthand. He was a tough competitor, and I always respected him for his service to our home state.”
According to his official congressional biography, Walter Darlington Huddleston was born in Burkesville on April 15, 1926. He graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1949.
Huddleston served in the U.S. Army as a tank gunner in the European Theater from 1944 to 1946.
He served as a Kentucky state senator from 1965 to 1972.
Kentucky Democratic Party chairman also praised Huddleston in a statement, saying “his presence will be missed.”
