Tall Figure in Congress

Even as a member of Congress in a less contentious, less partisan time, Morris K. Udall stood out as an uncommon man: a liberal who also was fiercely independent, a crusader for the environment and a gentle man known for his wry smile and dry wit. Udall represented southern Arizona in the U.S. House from 1961 until 1991. He succumbed to Parkinson’s disease last weekend at 76.

Mo Udall often quipped, “I’m a one-eyed Mormon Democrat from conservative Arizona, and you can’t have a higher handicap than that.” Indeed, he lost his right eye as a child, but he became a basketball star. He was a Mormon who split with the church over its former policy of excluding blacks from the priesthood. And his district was staunchly Republican, but Udall breezed to reelection every two years.

His major legacy is his work as chairman of the House Interior Committee, in which he shepherded through Congress a long list of landmark bills protecting the environment, including millions of acres of American wilderness.

Udall lost a bid for the presidency in 1976 after finishing second to Jimmy Carter in six consecutive primary elections. He later shared his experiences in a book entitled “Too Funny to Be President.”

As he aged and the disease took its toll, Udall’s 6-foot-5 frame often appeared to slump with weariness. But in the minds of grateful Americans, the image of Mo Udall will always stand tall.