Charles E. Bennett, 92; Florida Congressman Served 44 Years
Charles E. Bennett, 92, Florida’s longest-serving congressman and a principal advocate for ethical reforms, died Saturday in a nursing center in Jacksonville, Fla. He had been in declining health since suffering a stroke and heart attack last October.
“Mr. Clean,” as the Jacksonville Democrat was nicknamed, served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 44 years before retiring in 1993. He sponsored legislation to create the House Ethics Committee and served as its first chairman.
Born Dec. 2, 1910, in Canton, N.Y., Bennett earned bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Florida in Gainesville and served in the Army during World War II. His service left him with polio, but able to walk using two canes.
Bennett wrote several books on Florida’s history. When he first went to Congress, he refused to take any pay, saying he didn’t need the money. He consistently voted against congressional pay raises and refused to accept them.
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