Son: Hyde stood behind Constitution

In the middle of talking about his late father's life, Bob Hyde had to take a call.

He apologized for the delay, explaining the person on the other line was President Bush.

The president "wanted to share his thoughts and prayers," the son of longtime U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde explained.

Bob Hyde met Bush on Nov. 5, when accepting a Presidential Medal of Freedom on behalf of the congressman, then rushed back to Illinois to present it to his ailing father.

"The priceless moment was to see the look on his face," Hyde recalled. "It confirmed and affirmed all the work he had done."

That work includes taking controversial stands that brought him criticism from both liberals and conservatives, Hyde recalled, noting his father took heat from the right wing for supporting the assault weapons ban in 1994, but held firm.

"He said, 'flame-throwers are not what our Founding Fathers wanted.'

"I hope history remembers my dad as a champion of the United States Constitution and for what it stands -- the values, the morality, the optimism. And, because of that support of the Constitution that also includes his support for the right to life, honesty in government and traditional American values."

Despite the serious nature of his work, Hyde "didn't take himself too seriously," his son said.

"He enjoyed word games," Bob Hyde said. "If he had nothing to read, he would read the dictionary."

The two watched the Republicans win the majority in 1994, and Bob told his father that as an attorney, he would likely be named as Judiciary Committee chairman.

"Thirty minutes later, Newt Gingrich called," Hyde recalled.

That appointment landed Henry Hyde in an impressive office on Capitol Hill, where he kept a chronically messy desk. Some of the clutter included treasured letters from constituents, including one the young Bob Hyde read. It was from a woman whose husband, a veteran, needed help obtaining benefits.

Hyde, who served in World War II in the Pacific, directed his staff to help her.

The curious thing was, Bob Hyde remembered, is that the woman was from Deerfield, which is not in the 6th District.

She may not have known her congressman, Hyde said, but "she knew who he was."