John Kyl, 83; GOP Congressman, Interior Department Official
John Kyl, 83, a former Republican congressman from Iowa and assistant secretary of the Interior, died Monday at his home in Phoenix. He was suffering from complications of heart disease and diabetes.
Born in Nebraska, Kyl taught public school there and later worked as a television news anchorman in the Midwest. He represented south-central Iowa in the House of Representatives in the 1960s and early 1970s. His son Jon Kyl is the junior U.S. senator from Arizona.
John Kyl was elected to the House in 1959 in a special election and was defeated in 1964 during that year’s Democratic landslide. He was elected again in 1966 and served until he was voted out of office in 1972.
Kyl was assistant secretary of the Interior from 1973 to 1977.
After leaving public service, he worked as vice president of Occidental Petroleum Inc. until his retirement in 1985.
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