Former Speaker Dennis Hastert Dies at 84

Clear Facts

• Dennis Hastert, longest-serving Republican Speaker of the House, died at age 84.
• Hastert admitted to sexually abusing boys while serving as a high school wrestling coach.
• The scandal destroyed his public reputation after years of quiet retirement.

Dennis Hastert served as Speaker of the House from 1999 to 2007 and was the longest-serving Republican in that role. His time in office was marked by a low-profile approach to leadership and an emphasis on traditional congressional norms.

After leaving Congress, Hastert faced federal charges related to financial misconduct. Court records later revealed that the former speaker had abused multiple boys decades earlier while coaching wrestling at Yorkville High School in Illinois.

Hastert pleaded guilty in 2015 and was sentenced to 15 months in prison. The revelations ended any remaining public respect for the former speaker and forced a permanent retreat from political life.

“I am deeply ashamed,” Hastert told the court during sentencing. “I am sorry to the boys and their families.”

His death at 84 closes the final chapter on a career that once placed him third in line to the presidency and now ends under the shadow of his crimes.

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