Marion G. Snyder, 79; served 11 terms as a Kentucky congressman

Marion G. “Gene” Snyder, 79, a former congressman from Kentucky who served the Louisville area for 11 terms, died Friday night in Naples, Fla., according to Joe Whittle, a former U.S. attorney and friend of the Snyder family.

A native of Louisville, Snyder attended the University of Louisville and earned his law degree at the Jefferson School of Law, now part of the University of Louisville School of Law. After being admitted to the bar, Snyder practiced law in Louisville. Entering politics, he held a number of local offices before being elected to Congress in 1962. He lost his reelection bid two years later but ran again and won in 1966 after the district was redrawn. He served in Congress from Jan. 3, 1967, until Jan. 3, 1987, and left on his own terms, choosing not to run in 1986. He was succeeded by former baseball pitcher Jim Bunning, who is now one of the state’s U.S. senators.

Snyder served as a mentor to most of the state’s current congressional lawmakers, including Bunning and the state’s other senator, Mitch McConnell. In a statement, McConnell credited Snyder with giving him his “first real opportunity in politics.”