Harry Reid, Former Senate Majority Leader, Dies

Harry Reid, the erstwhile Senate bulk person and Nevada’s longest-serving subordinate of Congress, has died. He was 82.

Reid died Tuesday “peacefully” and surrounded by friends “following a courageous, four-year conflict with pancreatic cancer,” Landra Reid said of her hubby successful a statement.

“Harry was a devout household antheral and profoundly loyal friend,” she said. "We greatly admit the outpouring of enactment from truthful galore implicit these past fewer years. We are particularly grateful for the doctors and nurses that cared for him. Please cognize that meant the satellite to him.”

Funeral arrangements would beryllium announced successful coming days, she said.

The combative erstwhile boxer-turned-lawyer was widely-acknowledged arsenic 1 of the toughest dealmakers successful Congress, a blimpish Democrat successful an progressively polarized enclosure who vexed lawmakers of some parties with a brusque mode and this motto:

“I would alternatively creation than fight, but I cognize however to fight.”

Over a 34-year vocation successful Washington, Reid thrived connected behind-the-scenes wrangling and kept the Senate controlled by his enactment done 2 presidents — Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama — a crippling recession and the Republican takeover of the House aft the 2010 elections.

He retired successful 2016 aft an mishap near him unsighted successful 1 eye.

Reid successful May 2018 revealed he’d been diagnosed with pancreatic crab and was undergoing treatment.

Less than 2 weeks ago, officials and Reid’s son, Rory Reid, marked the renaming of the engaged Las Vegas airdrome arsenic Harry Reid International Airport. Rory Reid is simply a erstwhile Clark County Commission president and Democratic Nevada gubernatorial candidate.

Neither Harry nor Landra Reid attended the Dec. 14 ceremonial held astatine the installation that had been known since 1948 arsenic McCarran International Airport, aft a erstwhile U.S. legislator from Nevada, Pat McCarran, and contiguous ranks arsenic 1 of the 10 busiest airports successful the U.S.

The Clark County Commission voted unanimously past February to marque the sanction change, and the Federal Aviation Administration began listing the caller sanction connected aviation charts past June.

Among galore different projects that Reid brought enactment for successful Nevada — and a notable nationalist atomic discarded repository planned for Yucca Mountain that arsenic Senate bulk person helium blocked — Reid pushed for the improvement of the Terminal 3 planetary arrivals annex that opened astatine the airdrome successful June 2012.

"I americium heartbroken by the quality of his passing. Kathy and I widen our deepest condolences to his family, friends and loved ones. We are particularly reasoning of Harry’s everlastingly love, Landra," Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said successful a statement. "Perhaps what I admit astir astir Senator Reid’s bequest is helium ne'er forgot who helium was oregon wherever helium came from. From humble beginnings successful Searchlight, helium became 1 of the state’s astir almighty and fiercest advocates successful Washington, DC. He spent his beingness and his vocation warring the bully combat for each Nevadans. I consciousness fortunate to person known him."

Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price successful Las Vegas and Reno Correspondent Scott Sonner contributed to this report.