Former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert Dies at Age 84

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), who went to prison, died over the weekend at the age of 84, a coroner said on Oct. 5.

Hastert died of natural causes at his home, according to Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Purcell.

Hastert was elected Speaker in 1999, succeeding former Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who resigned over ethics violations and the GOP’s disappointing performance in the 1998 midterm elections. He presided over the House while the impeachment trial of then-President Bill Clinton was underway in the Senate.

Following the GOP’s return to the White House in 2000, Hastert shepherded then-President George W. Bush’s legislative agenda—including tax cuts and a large expansion of prescription drug benefits—through to passage.

His tenure as speaker ended in 2007 after the Democrats regained the House in the 2006 midterms.

However, Hastert’s legacy was defined by serving a year in prison after pleading guilty to evading banking laws. This was part of a hush money case in which he was accused of covering up unspecified “prior misconduct.”

According to prosecutors, Hastert’s misconduct was sexual abuse of teenage boys on his wrestling team in the town of Yorkville, which is west of Chicago. Hastert coached the team for 16 years, leading it to a state championship and earning him Coach of the Year in 1976.

According to prosecutors in the case, during his tenure, Hastert sexually abused at least four members of the team between 1965 and 1981. He was not charged over the allegations.

A person Hastert allegedly paid, identified in court papers only as Individual A, said the alleged conduct occurred in a hotel room when he was 14 years old on the way home from wrestling camp. Hastert allegedly told wrestlers in a locker room he would give them massages, only to allegedly touch them inappropriately. A couple of wrestlers accused Hastert of performing sexual acts on them. Hastert was not charged over the allegations.

Additionally, Hastert allegedly often sat on a recliner in the locker room with a view of the stalls where the team members showered, according to prosecutors. Hastert was not charged over that allegation.

Of the $3.5 million that he had allegedly promised to Individual A to keep quiet, Hastert paid more than $1.7 million. The former speaker pleaded guilty to a federal felony charge of structuring bank withdrawals to evade reporting requirements.

At his sentencing hearing in 2016, U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin called Hastert a “serial child molester.” 

Hastert said he was “deeply ashamed” and confessed that he “mistreated” some of his athletes. However, he never admitted to sexual abuse.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story will be updated.