Wyoming Sen. Thomas Dead at 74

Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo. gestures during a news conference in Oklahoma City, Okla. in this Jan. 18, 1996 file photo. Thomas, who has been battling leukemia, is listed in serious condition at Bethesda National Naval Medical Center. (AP Photo/J. Pat Carter, File) (J. Pat Carter - AP)

WASHINGTON -- Wyoming Sen. Craig Thomas, a three-term conservative Republican who stayed clear of the Washington limelight and political catfights, died Monday. He was 74.

The senator's family issued a statement saying he died Monday evening at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. He had been receiving chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia.

The family had issued a statement earlier in the day saying Thomas's cancer had been resistant to his second round of chemotherapy and the senator was listed in serious condition. Thomas was also suffering from an infection, his family said.

Just before the 2006 election, Thomas was hospitalized with pneumonia and had to cancel his last campaign stops. He nonetheless won with 70 percent of the vote, monitoring the election from his hospital bed.

Two days after the election, Thomas announced that he had just been diagnosed with leukemia.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal, a Democrat, will appoint a successor from one of three finalists chosen by the state Republican party.

"Wyoming had no greater advocate, taxpayers had no greater watchdog, and rural America had no greater defender than Craig Thomas," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday night. "The Senate is a lesser place without Craig here, but the state of Wyoming and our nation are much better places because he was here."

Thomas was a low-key lawmaker who reliably represented the interests of his conservative state, often becoming involved in public lands issues. He worked in behind-the-scenes posts to oversee national parks, including Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

He was also an advocate for domestic energy and minerals production. He worked to protect Wyoming's mining industry from foreign competition and backed efforts to get a federally funded coal gasification plant built in the state.

Reaction from Thomas's colleagues was swift. Wyoming's other senator, Republican Mike Enzi, said Monday evening that he was "so stunned."

"The Senate will not be the same," he said. "Craig was the core of our delegation. He was a fierce advocate for Wyoming. ... He was my senior senator, a confidant, mentor and friend. ... I will miss him."

The state's only member of the House, Republican Barbara Cubin, said Thomas was "a trusted colleague and a true friend."