Former Illinois Congressman Henry Hyde has died at the age of 83, House Minority Leader John Boehner's office has reported. Hyde spent 32 years in Congress, rising to serve as chair of the House Judiciary and International Relations Committees before retiring last year. For his service, President Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom earlier this month.

A conservative who represented the western suburbs of Chicago, Hyde's career included creating the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the so-called Hyde Amendment, which limited federal funding for abortions. Never a lock-step Republican, he opposed the war in Iraq long before it turned unpopular, and he was an original sponsor of the Brady Bill and other gun control measures.

In his role as Judiciary chairman, Hyde was one of 13 impeachment managers who went before the Senate to argue for a conviction. Of those 13, just four are still in the House -- Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner, Steve Buyer, Steve Chabot and Chris Cannon. Sen. Lindsey Graham also served as a manager.