RIP: Richard McIntyre

Sad news reported through a little blurb in this morning's C-J...

A Lawrence County Circuit Court judge has been found dead in his Bedford home. The body of Richard D. McIntyre Sr., 51, was found Tuesday evening inside a detached garage, Lawrence County Coroner John Sherrill said. He would not elaborate on the cause of death until an autopsy is completed.

McIntyre also served with the Indiana National Guard and was scheduled to return to active duty in December. He was elected to the Indiana House in 1980 and 1982. In 1984, he lost a close race for Congress against incumbent Frank McCloskey.

Then, late this morning, an even sadder update from Advance Indiana passing on a report from the Seymour Tribune...

Shocking news comes out of Lawrence County after Circuit Court Judge Richard McIntyre's body was discovered in a detached garage at his home. Lawrence Co. Coroner John Sherrill announced his preliminary finding that McIntyre's death was likely the result of a suicide. His body was discovered by his wife in his SUV Tuesday evening.

This is a sad ending to this man's life. He was elected by the voters of his district to Congress in 1984 only to see it snatched away from him in a raw power grab by the Democratic-controlled House of Representative and handed to Rep. Frank McCloskey. McIntyre later went on to be elected as a judge in 1988.

I wrote an essay on the McCloskey/McIntyre saga that was published in the C-J's forum section. If you're not familiar with the story, it's interesting-- and a key to understanding the rise of Newt Gingrich and the Republicans gaining control of the U.S. House in 1994.