Rep. Udall Will Resign After 30 Years in House

Rep. Morris K. Udall (D-Ariz.), who brought a rare sense of humor to his three decades in Congress and once sought the presidency, announced Friday that he is resigning because of ill health.

Udall, 68, who has Parkinson’s disease and recently suffered injuries in a fall, will resign his House seat effective May 4, administrative aide Matt James said.

The announcement ended months of speculation about Udall’s health and political future. It came 13 days before the 30th anniversary of a special election that he won on May 2, 1961. He was elected to fill out the congressional term vacated by his older brother, Stewart, who left Congress to become President John F. Kennedy’s secretary of the Interior.

Letters making the resignation official were delivered to House Speaker Thomas S. Foley (D-Wash.) in Washington and Gov. Fife Symington in Phoenix.

Udall announced last year that he would retire from Congress at the end of this term. But on April 5, Udall’s wife, Norma, wrote Foley to say that Udall might have to resign because of his poor health. Parkinson’s disease is progressive deterioration of nerve centers in the brain that interferes with body coordination and movement.

Udall, the only Democrat among five House members from Arizona, has been hospitalized for nearly four months. His condition was complicated by several broken ribs, a fractured shoulder blade and a concussion suffered when he fell down the stairs in January in his McLean, Va., home.

Even before the announcement, politicians praised Udall for his integrity, long service and effectiveness.

“He will be missed; he cannot be replaced,” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said. “He will be succeeded but he cannot be replaced.”

Under Arizona law, Symington will have to call a special primary election within 105 days of the resignation date, to be followed by a general election within 35 to 45 days.

Udall’s overwhelmingly Democratic 2nd Congressional District stretches from Yuma on the California-Mexico border to parts of Tucson and South Phoenix.

In 1976, Udall sought the Democratic presidential nomination and ran up a string of second-place finishes. But he failed to win a primary, finishing second in delegate strength to Jimmy Carter, and he finally bowed out of the race.