Former US Sen. Thad Cochran, 'Quiet Persuader,' dies at 81

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — In the Washington political scene of bombast and big egos, Republican Thad Cochran of Mississippi wielded power with a quiet, gentlemanly demeanor.

He played piano in his Capitol Hill office and dashed off handwritten notes of thanks or congratulations to constituents. The white conservative reared in the segregationist the Deep South hired African American staff members, supported historically black universities and received support from black voters who provided a crucial margin for victory in his final campaign. As a leader on agriculture and budget issues, he steered billions of dollars to his home state.

Cochran died today at age 81, just over a year after retiring.

"I'm optimistic about the future of our great nation," a notably feeble Cochran had said during his farewell speech on the Senate floor in March 2018. He was the 10th longest-serving U.S. senator.

He served 45 years in Washington, with the first six years in the House and the rest in the Senate. He became known as the "Quiet Persuader," cultivating loyalty and respect from his staff and from politicians inside and outside his home state.

Cochran, who served in the Navy, died at a veterans' nursing home in Oxford, Miss., said his final chief of staff, Brad White.

"I've never known a more powerful man, nor a more humble man – a true Southern gentleman that loved the great state of Mississippi," White said.