John Murtha dead at 77; Pennsylvania congressman served 19 terms

Pennsylvania congressman John P. Murtha has died after complications from surgery.

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Longtime Democratc congressman John P. Murtha, who represented Pennsylvania's 12th district, died after complications arose from a scheduled surgery to remove his gallbladder.

Ray Lustig /

Staffer Gabrielle Carruth and Murtha talk with Democratic lobbyist Tony Podesta at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004.

Nate Parsons / The Washington Post

One of the higher-profile members of Congress, Murtha always let his opinions be known from his first term in the House in the mid-1970s until his death at age 77.

Melina Mara / The Washington Post

Murtha was elected to the House in 1974. He survived a scandal that claimed numerous congressmen in 1980 and, after 41 years in office, was the eighth-longest-serving member of Congress before his death.

Melina Mara / The Washington Post

Murtha and Rules Committee Vice Chairman Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.) listen to questions during a news conference on Capitol Hill in 2007. Murtha and McGovern were concerned with the White House's war funding request.

Win Mcnamee / Getty Images

Then-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton stumps in Uniontown, Pa., in 2008 with Murtha, center, and Gov. Ed Rendell. Murtha confounded presidents over defense spending and delighted his constituents by delivering federal dollars to Pennsylvania's coal country during his Congressional career.

Keith Srakocic / AP

Time to get to work: Murtha was beloved in his district for his ability to send money to Pennsylvania's struggling coal country.

Tim Sloan / AFP/Getty Images

Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.), Murtha and Rep. Charles Wilson (D-Ohio) listen to testimony during a hearing before the Congressional Steel Caucus in 2009. The hearing examined the state of the U.S. steel industry.

Alex Wong / Getty Images

A photo of the congressman hangs in John Murtha Johnstown Cambria County Airport, which is located in Murtha's district. The airport, though not a high-traffic site, received about $200 million in federal earmarks through Murtha's efforts over the past decade.

Robin Rombach

In 2001, Murtha and former congressman Duke Cunningham (R-Calif.) co-sponsored the Flag Desecration Amendment, known as the flag burning amendment. The initiative passed the House, but not the Senate.

Murtha answers questions about Kuchera Defense Systems after attending a breakfast at a trade show in Johnstown, Pa., May 29, 2009. Kuchera, a Pennsylvania defense contractor that got millions of dollars in congressional earmarks from Murtha, was eventually blocked from doing business with the Navy amid allegations of fraud.

Gene J. Puskar / AP

The chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, Murtha retired as a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He was also a Vietnam War veteran whose decorations included a Bronze Star and two Purple hearts.

Melina Mara / The Washington Post

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