Former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen Dies

1988 Democratic VP Nominee & Clinton's First Treasury Secretary Was 85

(CBS/AP)  Lloyd Bentsen, who represented the state of Texas in Congress for 28 years and served as President Clinton's first treasury secretary, died Tuesday morning at his home in Houston, his family said. He was 85.

Bentsen had been under a doctor's care since a stroke several years ago, according to longtime aide Bill Maddox.

Bentsen, always courtly and distinguished, began his political career as a county judge in rural Hidalgo County, Texas, and was first elected to Congress in 1948, CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss reports. He served as a Democratic senator from Texas for 22 years, sought the presidential nomination in 1976 and was his party's vice-presidential nominee in 1988.

It was during that campaign that he famously told Republican rival Dan Quayle in a debate, "You're no Jack Kennedy."

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada paid tribute to Bentsen on the Senate floor Tuesday, saying, "The state of Texas has had great senators but no senator has ever been a better senator than Lloyd Bentsen."

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who ordered flags at state buildings to be flown at half-staff for five days in Bentsen's honor, remembered him as "a war hero and true Texas leader who earned the respect of the nation with his dedication to public service."

A shrewd legislative operator, Bentsen maneuvered with ease in Democratic and Republican circles alike on Capitol Hill, crafting deals behind the scenes in a dispassionate, reserved fashion.

Chairman of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee for six years, Bentsen was a solidly pro-business Democrat who compiled a record as a staunch advocate of international trade and protector of the oil and gas industry.

The scion of a wealthy Rio Grande Valley family, Bentsen first distinguished himself in World War II, where he flew 50 bomber missions over Europe. Returning home as a decorated veteran, the 25-year-old was elected Hidalgo County judge in 1946. Two years later, he moved to the House.

In his first House term, Bentsen was one of a handful of Southern congressmen voting against the poll tax, which was used to keep blacks from voting.

Despite the prediction of one of his mentors, legendary House Speaker Sam Rayburn, that he, too, could one day become speaker, Bentsen decided not to seek re-election in 1954. Instead, he opted to return to private life in Houston and build his own fortune, using several million dollars in seed money from his family.

Flush with corporate success, the millionaire felt the call of politics anew and decided in 1970 to challenge liberal Democratic Sen. Ralph Yarborough. After winning a bitter primary, Bentsen went on to defeat his Republican rival, George George H.W. Bush, for the first of four Senate terms.

The moderate-to-conservative Democrat, who preferred to work away from the limelight, quickly built a reputation as a bipartisan coalition builder.

National ambitions led him to seek the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination, a race he quickly abandoned after gaining little support. Returning his attention to the Senate, Bentsen cemented his expertise in tax, trade and economic issues as well as foreign affairs.

By 1988, Bentsen was one of the Senate's most respected voices. That year, Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis tapped the elder statesman as his running mate. The Dukakis-Bentsen ticket went down hard, losing 40 states including Texas to the Bush-Quayle team.

Bentsen was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1999 by President Clinton. "Under his leadership in 1993, when some of the rest of us had our doubts, we passed the economic plan that paved the way for what is now the longest peacetime expansion in our history," Mr. Clinton said.

Bentsen is survived by his wife, Beryl Ann; two sons; a daughter; and eight grandchildren.