Former GOP Rep. Phil Crane dies at 84

Long-serving Illinois Rep. Phil Crane (R) died of lung cancer on Saturday, his family said. He was 84.

Crane, who spent 35 years representing the suburbs of Chicago, held the title of the longest-serving House Republican, until he was unseated in 2004.

He was first elected in a special election in 1969 to replace then-Rep. Donald Rumsfeld, who had accepted a job in the Nixon administration.

Crane was known for his strong advocacy on tax issues and free trade. He served as vice chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

Crane, who earned degrees from Hillsdale College and Indiana University also served in the U.S. Army. He also founded the Republican Study Committee in 1973, the same year he helped lead an effort to form the Heritage Foundation. Crane served as head of the American Conservative Union later in the 1970s.

The conservative icon was the first congressman to support Ronald Reagan’s effort to defeat then-President Gerald Ford. Crane ran for the 1980 GOP presidential nomination but withdrew after Reagan entered the race.

Crane’s family said funeral services are expected on Thursday in Leesburg, Va. He will be buried near the family farm in Indiana.

— This report was updated at 3:48 p.m.