Mississippi Rep. Alan Nunnelee dies at age 56
Mississippi Republican Rep. Alan Nunnelee has died from complications related to a brain tumor, his family announced on Friday. The Republican was diagnosed with cancer in May and was sent to home hospice last month after doctors discovered a second, untreatable tumor in his brain. Story Continued Below âCongressman Alan Nunnelee has gone home to be with Jesus,â his family said in a statement. âHe was well loved and will be greatly missed.â The Republicanâs condition worsened after he had a stroke during an operation to remove the first tumor last fall. Nunnelee briefly returned to Capitol Hill in a wheelchair following the November elections but has been receiving treatment for most of the past month that kept him from Congress. In January, doctors decided to end the cancer treatment and moved Nunnelee to hospice. Nunnelee, 56, was first elected to Congress in 2010 after defeating Rep. Travis Childers, a Democrat. A longtime member of the Mississippi state Senate before he was elected to the House, Nunnelee served on the House Appropriations Committee. The Mississippi Republican was a hard-line conservative known for strong right-wing views. For instance, while serving in the Mississippi Senate in 2001, Nunnelee enacted legislation to have the motto âIn God We Trustâ placed in school classrooms. On Capitol Hill, Nunnelee was a strong proponent of cutting government spending and repealing Obamacare. He is survived by his wife, Tori Bedells, and three children, Reed Nunnelee, Emily Nunnelee and Nathan Nunnelee. Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said Nunnelee was a low-key âworkhorseâ on his panel. âAlan was one of those rare individuals that was driven, astute, and loyal to God, family, and country. He was a true gentleman at his very core,â Rogers said. âAs a colleague, he was a workhorse â at times eschewing the limelight but ever-willing to dig down and get the hard work done. His work in Congress and on the Appropriations Committee is a testament to his dedication to making his district and this country a better place for all. And as a friend, no one could ask for a more loyal and decent man by your side.â His death creates a second vacancy in the House. Former Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) resigned before the start of the 114th Congress. A special election to replace Grimm has not been set yet.