WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Lawmakers responded with shock and dismay to the death Friday of their colleague, Sen. Paul Wellstone, whom one congressman called "the soul of the Senate."
"Wellstone had passion for the good things for people and he expressed it brilliantly," Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., said in a news conference, visibly shaken as he spoke. "We'll miss you, Paul, and we'll never forget you."
The 58-year-old Wellstone, D-Minn., along with his wife, Sheila, daughter, Marcia, three staff members and two pilots, were killed in a plane crash Friday morning in Minnesota.
In his 12 years on Capitol Hill, Wellstone was known as one of the most liberal senators. A number of lawmakers deemed him a powerful voice for the people.
In 1990, after having never held elected office, Wellstone, then 46, won a Senate seat by defeating Sen. Rudy Boschwitz. On his campaign tour, Wellstone traveled around the state in an old beat-up school bus. He was previously a professor at Carleton College.
"He was one of the most noble and courageous men I have ever known," said Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., in a statement. "He was a gallant and passionate fighter, especially for the less fortunate."
"Paul Wellstone was the soul of the Senate," Daschle said.
Wellstone was on his way to attend the funeral of a state legislator's father when his plane crashed 175 miles north of Minneapolis.
As soon as reports indicated that Wellstone had been killed, an outpouring of grief and respect surfaced from lawmakers who worked with him on the Hill and from organizations that respected his legislative efforts.
President George W. Bush, who, though he rarely agreed with any of Wellstone's views, said Wellstone would be missed.
At a press conference at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, Bush expressed his condolences to Wellstone's family and described him as "a plainspoken fella, who did his best for his state and his country."
House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., also said he had great respect for his colleague.
"As a real champion of the people, Paul infused all of us with a sense of hope and challenged our country to be an even better place," he said. "Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, everybody will miss Paul Wellstone."
