HARTFORD, Conn.—Lowell P. Weicker Jr., a Republican U.S. senator who tussled with his own party during the Watergate hearings, later was elected Connecticut governor as an independent, died Wednesday. He was 92.
Weicker’s death at a hospital in Middletown, Connecticut, after a short illness, was confirmed by his family in a statement released by a spokesperson.
Weicker was a leading figure in Connecticut politics from his first election to the General Assembly in 1962 until he decided against running for a second term as governor in 1994.
Nationally, Weicker’s political marquee burned brightest during the 1973 hearings of the Senate’s special committee on Watergate. One of three Republicans on the seven-member panel, the freshman senator was not afraid to criticize President Richard Nixon, his own party or the attempted cover-up….