WASHINGTON (AP) - A champion of liberal causes and public service, former U.S. Sen. Joseph D. Tydings has died at 90.
Gov. Larry Hogan mourned Tydings' death Monday in a statement praising his corruption prosecutions and ordered flags lowered in his honor.
News outlets report the Maryland Democrat died of cancer in Washington. Daughter Mary Tydings says he was surrounded by family and cloaked in a University of Maryland blanket.
Born in North Carolina, Tydings was adopted by his stepfather, U.S. Sen. Millard Tydings of Maryland. He served in one of the Army's last horse platoons during the postwar occupation of Germany.
At President John F. Kennedy's urging, the federal prosecutor launched a Senate bid in 1963. During his single term, he opposed the Vietnam War and advocated for gun control and civil rights.
