Missouri's Eagleton dies at 77

ST. LOUIS -- Former U.S. Sen. Thomas Eagleton, who resigned as George McGovern's vice presidential nominee in 1972 after it was revealed he had been hospitalized for depression, died Sunday.

Eagleton, 77, considered the patriarch of the Missouri Democratic Party, had suffered from a variety of illnesses and ailments in recent years. The family said the cause of death was a combination of heart, respiratory and other problems.

"It's a real loss to the country," McGovern said. "He was a scrapper -- he didn't back away from a fight. Yet he was disarming in his dealings with people."

Gov. Matt Blunt ordered that all flags will be flown at half-staff to honor the memory of Eagleton.

"Tom Eagleton was a dedicated public servant and a gracious gentleman," Blunt said. "His many years of service to Missouri demonstrated his commitment to our state and our many citizens."

Former Sen. John Danforth of St. Louis, a Republican, served alongside Eagleton for 10 years and was his friend for four decades, despite their political differences. He called Eagleton's death a great loss to the state and to him personally.

"Tom Eagleton was an outstanding public servant throughout his career in elective politics and beyond," Danforth said. "As a United States senator, he was highly respected on both sides of the aisle."

"Tom Eagleton managed to be a statesman, an intellectual and a man of the people all at the same time," said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.

Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., said Eagleton "cared deeply about Missouri and its citizens. His long career in public service is a powerful example to all of us that we are here to make a difference and should dedicate ourselves to causes larger than ourselves."

Eagleton was born in St. Louis in 1929, the son of noted civil trial attorney Mark Eagleton, who once ran unsuccessfully for mayor and encouraged his son's interest in politics. He was elected circuit attorney at age 26 in 1956, just three years after graduating from Harvard Law School. He was the youngest man ever elected to the position.

He was elected Missouri attorney general in 1960 and lieutenant governor in 1964 before winning election to the U.S. Senate in 1968. He won re-election in 1974 and 1980, retiring after his third term.

Running mate

He was thrust into the national spotlight in 1972 when McGovern, spurned by other choices for vice president, including Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, chose the 42-year-old Eagleton as his running mate. McGovern made the choice after he and aide Frank Mankiewicz interviewed Eagleton over the phone.

Eagleton recalled in a 2003 interview with The Associated Press that he was asked if he ever used drugs or drank excessively. The subject of mental illness didn't come up, and Eagleton said it didn't occur to him to mention his three hospitalizations during the early 1960s for "nervous exhaustion and fatigue." His treatment included shock therapy.

He said he had not had any symptoms of depression for years and "didn't think it was all that big a deal."

Once word leaked of Eagleton's past, McGovern initially vowed to back him "1,000 percent." But McGovern relented to pressure and six days later chose Sargent Shriver, an in-law of the Kennedys, to replace Eagleton.

McGovern lost to President Richard Nixon in November 1972, with Nixon carrying every state except Massachusetts.

In a telephone interview, McGovern said Sunday he erred in removing Eagleton, and felt that if he had kept him on the ticket, the Democrats could have won the election.

"My first reaction was to say I was going to stay with him," McGovern said. "But gosh, the outcry across the country was pretty intense. We felt that since we were starting a new campaign we needed to get that off the front page and we needed to get Tom to step down.

"But I think that was a mistake."

Eagleton told The Associated Press in 2003 that he had no regrets.

"Being vice president ain't all that much," he said. "My ambition, since my senior year in high school, was to be a senator. Not everybody achieves their ambition. I got to the level that I really had no great right to claim."

McGovern and Eagleton remained friends, often chatting on the phone and writing. They last saw each other in the summer of 2005 when both attended a memorial service in Washington for Gaylord Nelson, a longtime Democratic senator from Wisconsin.

McGovern stayed at Eagleton's home several times in recent years and the two attended St. Louis Cardinals game. Both shared a passion for the Cardinals.

Eagleton said that after 1972, he "got over the disappointment damned quick," and threw himself into his Senate work.

Eagleton remained in the Senate until 1987, serving on the Appropriations, Governmental Affairs, Ethics and Foreign Affairs committees. Generally considered liberal, he nevertheless criticized busing to achieve school desegregation and, as a practicing Roman Catholic, strongly opposed abortion.

"Tom Eagleton was an outstanding Missouri senator in the great tradition of Harry Truman," Kennedy said. "He made a difference on every issue he touched in the Senate, especially Vietnam. He'll long be remembered for his outrage over the senseless bombing of Cambodia and for his leadership in the anti-war effort."

After his retirement from the Senate, Eagleton returned to St. Louis where he practiced law, taught at Washington University and did work as a television political commentator and occasional newspaper contributor.

He also was an activist for St. Louis, playing a key role in luring the NFL's Rams to relocate from Los Angeles in 1995, chairing the fan group that secured financing for the move. The federal courthouse in St. Louis is named after him.

Most recently, he was co-chairman for the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, which backed a successful constitutional amendment in November guaranteeing that all federally allowed stem-cell research also can occur in Missouri.

Significant hearing loss curtailed some of Eagleton's activities, but he was sought out by younger Democrats seeking advice and encouragement. Among his proteges was former Rep. Dick Gephardt.

Eagleton is survived by his wife, Barbara Ann Smith Eagleton, whom he married in 1956; two children, son Terence, and daughter Christy; three grandchildren; and one brother.

A memorial Mass will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Francis Xavier College church on the Saint Louis University campus, the church said.

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AP reporter David Lieb in Jefferson City contributed to this story.