LaTourette, who on Wednesday reportedly succumbed to pancreatic cancer, was known for his moderate politics and irreverent humor, Cleveland.com reported. When he joined Congress in 1995, he asked humor columnist Dave Barry to serve as his temporary press secretary. He delivered a tort reform speech written by Barry on the House floor that stated: “As a lawyer, I am the last person to suggest that everybody in my profession is a money-grubbing, scum-sucking toad. The actual figure is only about 73 percent,” Cleveland.com reported.
When he announced he was not seeking re-election at the end of his ninth term in 2013, the news stunned then House Speaker John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., who considered LaTourette a close ally and privately urged him to stay.
The Ohio Republican Party released a statement on his passing Wednesday night from Chairman Matt Borges.
“Steve LaTourette was one of a kind. Northeast Ohio and America are truly better because of his leadership,” Borges stated. “Another one of the good guys is gone too soon. We need more people like Steve LaTourette in public service. … Our hearts go out to his family.”
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said LaTourette — a husband and father of six — was known for his bipartisanship and ability to get things done for Ohio.
“He was a proud son of Cleveland, a tough prosecutor, and an effective legislator who could find common ground with just about anyone. But I will miss him most of all as a good friend with a great sense of humor,” Portman said in a released statement.