Conrad Burns (1935 - 2016)

Former U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana died April 28 of natural causes at his home in Billings, Montana, according to multiple news sources. He was 81. The death was announced by Montana Republican Party Executive Director Jeff Essman. The three-term senator won his seat in 1988 in a close election, but he was re-elected in a landslide in 1994, the first Republican U.S. senator to be re-elected in Montana. Burns used his influence on the U.S. Senate's Appropriations Committee to develop energy policies and manage public lands in the country's Western region.