Colleagues, friends and family members are paying tribute to Abner Mikva, a former Illinois congressman and judge who died Monday at age 90.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says he regarded Mikva as his "North Star for integrity, independence and progressive values." Durbin says Mikva's "record of public service was proof that the good guys can win without selling their souls."
Steven Cohen, who is married to Mikva's oldest of three daughters, Mary, says his father-in-law was diagnosed with bladder cancer several months ago, but remained "strong and active" until a couple of weeks ago. Cohen says the family thinks it is "fitting he died on the Fourth of July" because he was a "true patriot and had a flair for doing things in a historic way."
Cohen says he'll always remember Mikva's optimism during a close race for Congress in 1974. As the election returns came in and the family waited nervously, Mikva never wavered in optimism and belief in "democracy in action."