George McGovern 1922 - 2012

George McGovern, who served as an Army Air Corps pilot in World War II and later as a U.S. Representative and Senator from South Dakota, before running for president as the Democrat Party's nominee in 1972, died early this morning at a hospice in Sioux Falls.  During his political career, McGovern embraced the term "liberal", even as some of his fellow Democrats shied away from it and some Republicans used it as an insult.

In 1956, McGovern successfully ran for a seat in the House of Representatives, and was re-elected two years later.  In 1960, he ran for Senator and lost, but ran again and won in 1962, ousting incumbent Joe Bottums by only 597 votes.  He was also appointed by President John Kennedy to lead the Food for Peace program.  During his unsuccessful presidential campaign, his running mate was Kennedy brother-in-law R. Sargent Shriver.  In Arkansas, their campaign staff included some young volunteers such as Bill Clinton and his girlfriend Hillary Rodham.

Read more at ABC News, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, US News and the Washington Post.