AP News Alert:WASHINGTON (AP) Rep. Paul Gillmor, R-Ohio, was found dead in his apartment Wednesday, a Republican leadership aide says.According to the AP story, the cause of death is unknown. He is survived by his wife and five children.
RightAngleBlog had the news first in the Ohiosphere, but several other blogs have picked up the story.
Gillmor was one of the few Congressman to truly embrace the blogsphere and actively maintained a blog of his own.
Godspeed, Mr. Gillmor...
UPDATE: Republican Leader John Boehner:
“Congressman Paul Gillmor was a good friend and a trusted colleague who served his constituents with honor for nearly two decades. Born, raised and educated in our home state of Ohio , Paul never lost sight of the reason he came to Congress – to serve this great institution and his constituents with dedication and distinction.UPDATE 2: CQ Politics:
“Paul will be dearly missed, and my thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Karen, their family, Paul’s staff and his constituents.”
“He was a members’ member,” said Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla. “An even-keeled guy — you never saw Paul upset about anything.”UPDATE 3: NRCC Chariman Rep. Tom Cole:
“Paul was a professional in every sense of the word,” said Rep. Adam H. Putnam, R-Fla., the GOP Conference chairman.
“I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my good friend Paul Gillmor. I’ve known Paul for many years, from our days at the NRCC when Paul sat on the Executive Committee while I was Executive Director, to our recent membership on the Deputy Whip team. Paul served his country honorably as a Vietnam veteran, an Ohio State Senator for over twenty years and as a tireless advocate for his Ohio constituents at the federal level for two decades. Paul was a tremendous public servant who fought passionately for Ohio jobs, veterans and seniors. His leadership at home and in our Republican Conference was greatly admired and will be sorely missed. I extend my deepest sympathies to Paul’s wife, Karen, and to his children, and will keep them in my prayers during this difficult time.”Ohio GOP Blog:
Republicans lose a friend; Ohio loses a leaderOhio GOP Chairman Bob Bennett:
“Paul Gillmor was one of the decent guys. He was my friend for more than 30 years, and always a strong supporter of me. But more importantly, Paul always put the best interests of his constituents above politics. He served the people of Ohio for 30 years as a state senator, Senate President and member of Congress with honor and distinction. We need more people like Paul Gillmor representing us in Washington.UPDATE 4: Speaker of the Ohio House Jon Husted (who hates political blogs):
“Paul will be sorely missed. On behalf of the entire Republican family I extend our deepest sympathies to Paul’s wife Karen and the entire Gillmor family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them today.”
"His sudden passing is a shock to us all and he will be greatly missed," Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted said in a statement.UPDATE 5: Strickland outlines how Gillmor's replacement will be chosen (The Advertiser-Tribune):
A spokesman for Gov. Ted Strickland offered information about how U.S. Rep. Paul Gillmor’s seat would be filled.Gov. Ted Strickland (D):
Gillmor, R-Tiffin, died unexpectedly earlier today. He was representative from Ohio’s 5th Congressional District, which includes Seneca County.
Strickland would call a special election to fill the open seat. He would send a writ of election to the Wood County Board of Elections to call the election, because Wood County is the most populous county in the 5th district. The date of the special election would be at the discretion of the governor.
“I am very saddened by the loss of Congressman Paul Gillmor. Frances and I offer our deepest condolences to his family, friends and constituents. Paul was a friend and a colleague. I count myself as fortunate to have served with him on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Ohio has lost a truly decent and devoted public servant.”UPDATE 6: Cleveland Plain Dealer:
U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, a Republican, called Gillmor "a role model for all of us who serve in public office."UPDATE 7: WASHINGTON, DC- The Office of Congressman Paul E. Gillmor (R-Ohio), released the following statement:
Zack Space, Democrat of Dover, prefaced remarks on the House floor that had to do with naming a post office after John Glenn by issuing condolences to Gillmor's family. He called him "a good man who will be missed."
UPDATE 8: Rep. Jean Schmidt:“It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Congressman Paul Gillmor. Congressman Gillmor’s death comes as a great shock to us all. Representative Gillmor served the people of Ohio with every ounce of his soul and today he passed on doing the job he loved. Congressman Gillmor was our boss, our mentor, and our friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with Paul’s wife, Karen, their daughters Linda and Julie and their sons Paul Michael, Adam and Connor”.
Biography of Congressman Paul Gillmor
Congressman Paul E. Gillmor (R-Tiffin) was sworn in to United States House of Representatives to represent the people of the Fifth Congressional District in Ohio in January 1989. Ohio 's Fifth District includes all of Crawford, Defiance, Fulton , Henry, Huron, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams and Wood counties, and parts of Ashland, Lucas, Mercer and Wyandot counties.
Recently, Mr. Gillmor served on the House Committee on Financial Services, which is responsible for banking issues, insurance, international monetary policy, capital markets and investment, government sponsored enterprises, and public and private housing. On the Financial Services Committee, Mr. Gillmor was the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit which has jurisdiction over banks, thrifts, and credit unions while providing oversight over financial regulators, such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Federal Reserve, all matters pertaining to consumer credit including the Consumer Credit Protection Act and access to financial services, as well as the safety and soundness of the banking system. Mr. Gillmor was also assigned to the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises and the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity.
Mr. Gillmor was unanimously elected in 2006 by representatives of the 26 NATO countries to serve as Vice President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
Mr. Gillmor served as a Deputy Minority Whip for the current Congress and was in his eighth term as a member of the Republican Whip team. Previously, he was elected a regional representative for four states to the House Republican Policy Committee. He served as a member of a bipartisan reform task force on ethics and congressional mailing practices. In 1994, Mr. Gillmor authored an article for the Harvard Journal on Legislation on "Reconstruction of Federalism: A Constitutional Amendment to Prohibit Unfunded Mandates."
Prior to his election to Congress, Mr. Gillmor served in the Ohio Senate for twenty-two years. As a State Senator, he was unanimously elected Republican leader five times, and he served as President of the Senate for three General Assemblies.
Throughout his career in public service, Mr. Gillmor received numerous awards for his accomplishments from groups representing businesses, veterans, senior citizens, educators, prosecuting attorneys, civil service employees, and environmental concerns. Most recently, he was honored by the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce for his efforts to successfully prevent the Toledo Air National Guard Base from closing while saving more than 1,000 jobs. In addition, Mr. Gillmor was selected as one of the ten most outstanding legislators in the United States by the National Republican Legislators Association.
Congressman Gillmor received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. He was a graduate of Old Fort High School in Seneca County . Mr. Gillmor also held honorary degrees from Heidelberg College , Defiance College , Ohio University, Tiffin University , and Rio Grande College .
As a United States Air Force veteran, Mr. Gillmor attained the rank of Captain while on active duty. As an Air Force Judge Advocate, Mr. Gillmor served during the Vietnam Conflict from 1965-1966.
Congressman Gillmor is survived by his wife Karen Gillmor, Ph.D., who currently serves as Vice Chairman of the State Employment Relations Board (SERB) in Ohio . Also a former State Senator, Dr. Gillmor was selected in 1995 as the Outstanding Freshman Legislator in the country by the National Republican Legislators Association. Congressman Gillmor is survived by his two daughters, Linda and Julie, and three sons, Paul Michael, and twins, Connor and Adam.
I am deeply saddened by the news that my dear friend Paul Gillmor has died. PG, as many of us called him, was such a shining example of service and leadership.UPDATE 9:
As President of the Ohio State Senate, he led Ohio through good and bad times. For the last two decades, he was fought for Ohio here in Congress. During his entire life, Paul Gillmor, was a true leader, a gentleman, and a true statesman.
Just as important, he was also a great father and a loving husband. My prayers go out to my friend Karen and the children. Ohio has suffered a great loss. America has suffered a great loss. We have lost a good friend.
I had no idea that Rep. Gillmor had a YouTube channel...although I shouldn't be surprised, he was a blogger...
