Veteran New York Democratic Rep. Louise Slaughter Dies

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WASHINGTON (AP) — An aide to Rep. Louise Slaughter says the 88-year-old Democratic congresswoman from upstate New York has died.

Slaughter was serving her 16th term in Congress and was the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee. She was the first woman to chair that committee when she led it from 2007 through 2010.

Liam Fitzsimmons is her chief of staff. In a statement, he says Slaughter died early Friday at George Washington University Hospital after injuring herself in a fall in her area home. Fitzsimmons said on Wednesday that she'd sustained a concussion but no broken bones.

Slaughter was originally from Kentucky and had a degree in microbiology. She was repeatedly re-elected, sometimes narrowly, and was the longest-serving member of Congress from New York.