USABC NewsMON 05 OCT 2026 / 8:49 AM CDT

Dennis Hastert, longtime Republican House speaker who went to prison, dies at age 84

CHICAGO -- Dennis Hastert, the nation’s longest-serving Republican House speaker, who helped turn much of President George W. Bush’s agenda into law before his own political legacy was forever fouled by allegations that he molested high school athletes when he was a wrestling coach, died over the weekend, a coroner said Monday. He was 84.

Hastert, who was speaker from 1999 until 2007, died of natural causes at his home, according to Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Purcell.

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Dennis Hastert, longtime Republican House speaker who went to prison, dies at age 84

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