Former Arkansas Gov. Dale Bumpers Dies At 90

Former Gov. Dale Bumpers, a veteran of the U.S. Senate who rose to national prominence in part because of his passionate defense of President Bill Clinton, has died. The Democrat from Arkansas was 90 years old.

Bumpers died Friday night in Little Rock, according to a family statement published by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The family said, in part:

"While most people knew him as a great governor, senator and public servant, we remember him best as a loving father and husband who gave us unconditional love and support and whose life provided wonderful guidance on how to be a compassionate and productive person."

Brent Bumpers also tells the newspaper that his father required surgery after breaking his hip in a fall three weeks ago.

In 1999, Bumpers delivered a famous speech in which he urged his Senate colleagues not to undo a national election because Clinton had been unfaithful to his wife, citing the requirements of a crime against the state and repeatedly asking, "What are we doing here?"

Read more: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/02/461774137/former-arkansas-gov-dale-bumpers-dies-at-90