Dennis Hastert death reason: What has caused death of longest-serving Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives?

Dennis Hastert, one of Washington's most powerful politicians during eight years as House speaker from 1999 to 2007, has died. He was 84-year-old. Hastert was the longest-serving Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives, a position that placed him second in the line of succession to the presidency. His political legacy was forever fouled by allegations that he molested high school athletes when he was a wrestling coach. Survivors include his wife, Jean, and two adult sons.

Born in Aurora, Illinois, Hastert earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Wheaton College in 1964 and a master’s in education from Northern Illinois University in 1967. Hastert lived his entire life in Chicago's suburbs, primarily in the Yorkville area. While growing up, he helped his father with the family feed business.

Dennis Hastert Cause of Death


The Kendall County Coroner's Office in Illinois said Hastert died at his home Saturday night while under hospice care. Hastert died of natural causes at his home, according to Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Purcell.

Hastert's reputation collapsed years after he left Congress when a federal investigation into suspicious bank withdrawals exposed payments intended to conceal sexual abuse dating back to his years as a high school wrestling coach.

Hastert pleaded guilty in 2015 to illegally structuring cash withdrawals to avoid bank reporting requirements as part of a $3.5 million agreement with one of his victims.

At his sentencing the following year, Hastert admitted for the first time that he had sexually abused boys while teaching and coaching wrestling at Yorkville High School in Illinois from the 1960s to the early 1980s.

He could not be prosecuted for the sexual offenses because the statutes of limitations had expired, and was instead sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for violating banking laws. US District Judge Thomas Durkin described Hastert at sentencing as a "serial child molester."

Hastert served in the House from 1987 until 2007 and became speaker after the turbulent departure of fellow Republican Newt Gingrich and the withdrawal of Gingrich's intended successor, Bob Livingston. After six years in the Illinois legislature, he was elected to the US House in 1986. He represented his Illinois district outside Chicago for two decades.

He remained speaker until Democrats regained control of the House in the 2006 midterm elections. Hastert was released from federal prison in 2017 after serving most of his sentence.

Hastert contributed to the increasing partisan divide in Washington. As speaker, Hastert marshaled his own often-fractious Republican legislators to pass conservative bills with little or no outreach to the Democratic minority.

He was credited with instituting the "Hastert Rule" under which only bills supported by "the majority of the majority" party would be brought to a vote on the House floor. As a result, he let major legislation die rather than allow it to pass with mostly Democratic support.