Bill Young, Who Represented Florida in Congress Since 1970, Passes Away

U.S. Rep. Bill Young, R-Fla., passed away on Friday. Earlier in the month, Young, who was 82, announced he would not run for re-election. Young had been in the hospital for a back injury resulting from a plane crash he survived back in 1970. There had been reports that Young was in poor health though, earlier in the week, he spoke with former President George W. Bush.

First elected to Congress in 1970, Young has been on the Florida political stage since 1960 when he was elected to the Florida Senate. During the 1960s, Young moved up the ranks to serve as Senate minority leader before winning a seat in Congress. From 1999 until 2005, Young chaired the House Appropriations Committee.

Young showed a knack for doing well in elections but in 2012 Democrat Jessica Ehrlich held him under 60 percent for the first time since 1992.