Defense Stalwart Murtha Dies at 77

Rep. John Murtha, the first Vietnam War combat veteran to serve in Congress and a powerful advocate for both the military and for the interests of his Pennsylvania district, died Monday at the age of 77.

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Rep. John Murtha in 2007

His office didn't give a cause of death. Mr. Murtha, a Democrat, had recently undergone gall bladder surgery.

Mr. Murtha chaired the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and was a confidant of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), and an important backer of her rise to the party's leadership. Mr. Murtha's 2005 speech against the Iraq war marked a turning point in the congressional attitude toward the effort.

Mr. Murtha often stirred controversy with his unapologetic championing of the congressional earmark process, which he used to direct federal money to his district. He also faced ethical scrutiny. In 1980, the Federal Bureau of Investigation videotaped him during its Abscam investigation turning down a bribe, but appearing to leave the door open to future payments.

PM Report: Rep. Murtha Dies at Age 77

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Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a powerful and controversial force in defense spending, has died at age 77. WSJ's John Bussey discusses his legacy. Plus, what's next for the Tea Party? These stories and more in the News Hub.

More recently, Mr. Murtha came under an ethical cloud again, when federal investigators focused on PMA Group, a lobbying firm with ties to the congressman. He was not accused of wrongdoing.

Mr. Murtha's death comes as Democrats are fighting to avoid deep losses in the 2010 mid-term elections. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said he had not yet decided whether to set the special election to succeed Mr. Murtha for May 18, the same date as Pennsylvania's primary, or earlier. The southwest Pennsylvania district has centrist politics, having voted for Democrat John Kerry in 2004 and Republican John McCain in 2008, though Mr. Murtha generally won with comfortable margins.

A colorful and outspoken presence in the House for 36 years, Murtha was never one to shy away from a fight, whether with his fiscally conservative critics or military leaders who disagreed with him on where to direct defense dollars. He once threatened to have the genitals "cut off" any Pentagon leaders who withheld information from his committee on the Iraq war.

Republicans joined Democrats Monday in paying tribute to Mr. Murtha's long service, military record and support for the Pentagon. "I have never seen a more valiant defender of the men and women of our armed forces, nor a more steadfast advocate for our country's unequaled national defense," said Rep. Jerry Lewis (R., Calif.), the top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee.

"Jack Murtha was a giant," Ms. Pelosi said. "All who served with him were honored to call him colleague. I was privileged to call him friend."

Mr. Murtha's most likely successor as chairman of the powerful Appropriations panel is Rep. Norm Dicks (D., Wash.), whose district includes Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and who is a big booster of Boeing Co.

Remembering Murtha

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Newly elected John Murtha accepted congratulations from wellwishers in Johnstown, Pa., after winning a special election Feb. 6, 1974.

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Few dramatic changes are expected under Mr. Dicks, since all lawmakers on the Appropriations committees tend to guard their prerogative to control funding. Still, Mr. Murtha was particularly insistent on his right to dole out projects even when the Pentagon did not want them, and Mr. Dicks may be less so.

In addition to housing the Puget Sound shipyard, Mr. Dicks's district is bordered by McChord Air Force Base and the Army's Fort Lewis, which are becoming a joint installation. The area also has a large Coast Guard presence.

Mr. Dicks has been a strong proponent of Boeing's entry into a politically charged $40 billion Air Force contract for aerial refueling jets. Mr. Murtha at times had advocated splitting the work between Boeing and Northrop Grumman Corp.

Born in West Virginia in 1932, Mr. Murtha was raised in southwest Pennsylvania and his Irish roots could be heard in his distinctive brogue. He served as a U.S. Marine after graduating high school, and after being discharged in 1955, he ran a car wash in Johnstown, Pa. He attended the University of Pittsburgh on the G.I. Bill, but re-enlisted in the Marines in 1966 and served as a decorated intelligence officer in Southeast Asia.

In 1974, two years after returning from Vietnam, Mr. Murtha narrowly won a special election to Congress after the death of Republican Rep. John Saylor. For more than three decades, his working-class, military roots, and his plainspoken style resonated with the area's voters.

Mr. Murtha served in 1975 on the first congressional fact-finding mission to Vietnam after U.S. forces were withdrawn.

Gov. Rendell ordered flags flown at half-staff Monday for the state's longest-serving congressman. "He was a congressman in many ways for all of Pennsylvania," Mr. Rendell said. "He was our go-to guy. Whatever the issue was, he could weigh in and make things happen for us."