Dick VanderVeen, the former Democratic Congressman from Grand Rapids and one-time candidate for U.S. Senate, passed away yesterday. He was 83.

Congressman VanderVeen was first elected to the U.S. House in a special election in early 1974, promising to “send Washington a message” and declaring that “the moral verdict is in” on Watergate. In November of that year, VanderVeen was re-elected to the House, where he served until January 1977. Notably, when I was born at the former Blodgett Hospital in August 1976, VanderVeen was my congressman.

Congressman VanderVeen carried a constant commitment to representing the people who elected him. In 1974, for example, while his Republican opponent was left to defend President Nixon and the Watergate scandal, VanderVeen effectively conveyed the outrage of the nation, and did indeed send Washington a message. (A message, by the way, that had the effect of propelling our own Gerald Ford to the presidency.)

Perhaps most impressively, during 1974-1975, Congressman VanderVeen maintained a 99% voting record in the House, while still managing to return home to the district 51 out of 52 weekends.

Finally, VanderVeen was a family friend. My father in particular was a friend of Congressman VanderVeen, and all of us – in the Scripps family and in Michigan – will miss him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family