Former Rep. Paul Rogers dies at 87

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Paul Rogers, who represented the Palm Beach, Fla., area in Congress for 24 years and was best known for his work on healthcare, has died at 87.

Relatives told the Palm Beach Post that Rogers passed away Monday in Washington. His brother, Doyle Rogers, a West Palm Beach lawyer, told the newspaper that his brother had recently been operated on for lung cancer.

Rogers, a Democrat, first ran for Congress in 1955, when his father, Rep. Dwight Rogers, died in office. He was re-elected 11 times before deciding to step down.

During his years in Congress, Rogers chaired a subcommittee on health and the environment and introduced a wide variety of legislation for spending on medical research and other health issues. He was known locally as "Mr. Health."

The federal courthouse in West Palm Beach and the main plaza at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., are named after him.

After leaving Congress, Rogers joined the Washington law firm of Hogan & Hartson and served on the boards of Merck & Co. and Mutual Life Insurance Co.

He is survived by his wife, Rebecca, a daughter and four grandchildren.