'America's going to miss him'

">Brilliant orator. Principled partisan. Author of the Hyde Amendment limiting abortion funding. Leader of the effort to impeach President Clinton. A divisive figure with powerful convictions who nonetheless built bipartisan bridges.Republican Henry Hyde, the suburbs' own Congressional institution, died Thursday at 83, of heart failure. Hyde never fully recovered from triple-bypass surgery in July. "America's going to miss him," longtime Hyde aide and friend Pat Durante said."There hasn't been a congressman I've talked to since he resigned who hasn't told me how much Congress missed him and his capability of being able to cross to the other side of the aisle and bring sides together. It's something very lacking today," Durante said.Even U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, a Chicago Democrat and ardent abortion-rights advocate, says he respected Hyde's gamesmanship on the impeachment battle field. "History will record him as a lightning rod during a very divisive period, but he was playing a role," Davis said. "All of us play a role. We all have our parts and your challenge is to play your part well. Whatever part Henry played, he played it well." Complete Coverage Stories A legacy built on fighting abortion [11/30/07]Son: Hyde stood behind Constitution [11/30/07]Longtime staffers say Hyde was a friend, mentor [11/30/07]Hyde's local influence [11/30/07]National,state leaders praise Hyde [11/30/07] Editorial: Henry Hyde, eloquent statesman [11/29/07] Timeline of Hyde's career [11/29/07] Former U.S. Rep Henry Hyde awarded highest civilian honor [11/05/07] Hyde to receive Medal of Freedom [10/30/07] Daily Herald Archive S. Korea gives Hyde its highest civilian medal Students get lesson in civics from Hyde Hyde: Attack on Iraq possible Hyde pleads for cooperation on gun legislation Hyde calls for 'overwhelming' military response The man who calmed the abortion firestorm Hyde wants crackdown on terrorists Hyde: JP 'among great popes in history' Hyde donates memorabilia to Loyola Another Marshall Plan needed for the Palestinians, Hyde says Hyde says no 'retreat' from pro-life platform Cancer claims life of Hyde's son Hyde turns focus to foreign relations Hyde re-energized by new role Hyde promises to scrutinize FBI snafus How will you remember Henry Hyde? Let us know your thoughts on or experiences with the late Congressman at news@dailyherald.com. Related Links Addison Twp. GOP A Chicago native who switched from Democratic leanings to staunch Republican conservatism as a young man, Hyde attended Georgetown as a basketball standout and got his law degree from Loyola University. He played his first political role in Springfield, where he ascended to House majority leader before moving on to Congress in 1974. His 32 years in the U.S. House included stints as chairman of the Judiciary and International Relations committees.Hyde had no sooner arrived in Washington, a year after the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling on abortion, than he began making waves on the issue.Durante recalled Thursday that the congressman didn't expect his well-known Hyde amendment, halting the use of federal funds for abortions, to pass immediately."He ripped out a piece of paper and wrote it up and gave it to the clerk," Durante said. "It's something he felt needed to get done and he did it. And he wouldn't have stopped if it didn't pass. He would have presented it every year."That amendment indelibly stamped Hyde's career and made him a hero to abortion opponents.By contrast, his political enemies remember him most as the House's loudest drum beater in the march toward Clinton's impeachment. As House Judiciary chairman, Hyde's famous speech in favor of impeachment helped persuade enough colleagues to vote for the rare step."It is not a question of sex," Hyde told the House in December 1998. "It is not a question of lying about sex. The matter before the House is a question of lying under oath. This is a public act. This is called perjury."But opinion polls showed the American public thought the issue was exactly about "lying about sex." And Hyde's own past arguably contributed to that.In September 1998, a week after independent counsel Kenneth Starr's report was released, the online magazine Salon published a story detailing a 1960s extramarital affair Hyde had with a beautician. Hyde, who was in his 40s at the time, characterized the affair as a "youthful indiscretion," making him a punch line for late-night talk show hosts.The impeachment episode still clearly stung Hyde, who suggested at the time that if the media wanted to dwell on events in his past, it should also dwell on his World War II combat service in the Navy. On the occasion of Hyde's retirement, Republican colleagues said that focusing on Hyde's role as chief manager of the House lawyers who tried Clinton's impeachment case would be selling short his legacy, which included crusades against abortion, a nuclear freeze and Communism in impassioned speeches.