Ohio Congressman's Death In Arlington Ruled Accidental

Rep. Paul E. Gillmor (R-Ohio) died of blunt head and neck trauma, injuries consistent with a fall down stairs, the Virginia medical examiner's office concluded in ruling his death an accident.

Gillmor was found dead Wednesday in his Arlington County townhouse after he did not show up at the Capitol for morning meetings. Aides found his body at the base of stairs leading to the second floor.

Police found no evidence of foul play, said Lucy Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Health, which includes the medical examiner's office. An autopsy was performed, but chemical and ancillary tests have not yet been completed, Caldwell added.

Gillmor, 68, spent four decades in politics. He was elected to Congress in 1988 from a conservative district in northwest Ohio.

Gillmor served in the Ohio Senate from 1967 to 1989 and was its president from 1981 to 1983 and from 1985 to 1989. Officials in Columbus announced plans yesterday for him to lie in state next week in the Statehouse Rotunda -- an honor awarded to only six people before him, including four presidents.