Former New Hampshire Republican Senator Warren Rudman passed away last night of lymphoma. He was 82.

Rudman was elected to the Senate during the Reagan Revolution in 1980. Along with Texas Republican Senator Phil Gramm and South Carolina Democrat Senator Ernest “Fritz” Hollings, Rudman co-authored legislation which imposed caps on federal spending which became known as the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Balanced Budget Act. 

A moderate Republican, Rudman was instrumental in getting President George H.W. Bush to appoint David Souter to the Supreme Court much to the chagrin of conservatives. 

After the 1992 election, Rudman retired from the Senate. From 1998 through 2001, Rudman and former Colorado Democrat Senator Gary Hart co-chaired the United States Commission on National Security/21st Century. Their report, released on March 15, 2001, predicted a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Sadly, less than six months later it would happen.

Rudman was not a conservative but he was a conscientious and diligent public servant who conducted himself honorably.