WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Rep. Marvin Leath, a conservative Texas Democrat who spent more than a decade in Congress, died Friday. He was 69.
Leath served the 11th District of Texas and retired in 1990. He worked as a lobbyist in recent years, and died at a Washington-area hospital after a short illness, said Vance Gore, a spokesman for Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Texas.
"Central Texas has lost a true friend," Edwards said in a statement. "Marvin Leath's public service made a lasting impact on Fort Hood, our military and our veterans."
Edwards, who succeeded Leath, said the nation's defense is stronger because of Leath's work.
"Marvin Leath was a straightforward, straight-talking member of Congress who earned the respect of members on both sides of the aisle," he said. "We will miss him."
Leath was one of the founders of the "Boll Weevils," a group of Southern Democrats who worked closely with Republicans in Congress on fiscal and budget issues.