A family spokesman says former U.S. Sen. George McGovern, the Democrat who lost to President Richard Nixon in 1972 in a historic landslide, has died at the age of 90.
The spokesman, Steve Hildebrand, told The Associated Press by telephone that McGovern died at 5:15 a.m. Sunday at a hospice in Sioux Falls, surrounded by family and friends.
McGovern's family released a statement:
At approximately 5:15 am this morning, our wonderful father, George McGovern passed away peacefully at the Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls, SD, surrounded by our family and life-long friends.
We are blessed to know that our father lived a long, successful and productive life advocating for the hungry, being a progressive voice for millions and fighting for peace. He continued giving speeches, writing and advising all the way up to and past his 90th birthday, which he celebrated this summer.
George McGovern died at the age of 90.
Services will be held in Sioux Falls. Details will be announced shortly.
In lieu of flowers, our family is requesting that donations be made to support Feeding South Dakota at www.feedingsouthdakota.org/donate.
McGovern was a bomber pilot in World War II who became an early critic of the Vietnam War and a leader of the Democrats' liberal wing. He was elected to his first of three Senate terms in 1962.
McGovern ran for president three times, also making a try for the nomination in 1968 and 1984. Despite the 1972 Watergate break-in, Nixon won a second term in one of the biggest landslides in modern history.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.