Former U.S. Representative and Senator John Culver, a Democrat who represented Iowa in Congress during the Vietnam War era, has died at age 86.
Culver’s death was confirmed by longtime friend Jim Larew, who said Culver died late Wednesday at his home near Washington after a long illness.
Culver was a Cedar Rapids lawyer and former aide to Sen. Ted Kennedy when he was elected to the House in 1964.
After a decade in the House, he was elected to an open Senate seat in 1974.
He served one term before losing to Sen. Chuck Grassley in the 1980 election.
Culver is the father of former Iowa Governor Chet Culver, who served from 2007 to 2011.
After leaving public service, Culver practiced law and was involved with the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
Photo courtesy C-Span