Warren Rudman, 1930–2012

New Hampshire Sen. Warren Rudman was famously blunt: “Just tell the truth and watch them scatter” was one of his favorite expressions, according to a long-term associate. But the moderate Republican was perhaps never blunter than when he offered his explanation for why, after two successful and productive six-year terms in the Senate, he decided not to seek re-election in 1992. “I wasn’t sure the glory of being a senator meant much,” he later wrote, “if we were bankrupting America.”

Rudman is best known for his key role in bipartisan efforts to rein in the federal deficit. “In some ways,” said USA Today, the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Balanced Budget Act of 1985 “was the forerunner to the deal between President Obama and Congress that has sparked talk of the fiscal cliff.” With Republican Phil Gramm of Texas and Democrat Fritz Hollings of South Carolina, Rudman devised automatic spending cuts, known as sequesters, which were supposed to kick in if certain budget targets weren’t met. The law helped reduce budget deficits in the 1990s, but eventually fell afoul of the same partisan pressures that bedevil budget discussions today.

The Boston-born Rudman graduated from Syracuse University and Boston College Law School, served in Korea, and later became attorney general of his state. First elected to the Senate in 1980, he earned respect from colleagues of both parties, said the Associated Press, because “he did his homework and was true to his word.” After making a name for himself on budget issues and as a tough interrogator of Lt. Col. Oliver North in the 1987 Iran-Contra hearings, “Rudman was instrumental” in securing the Supreme Court nomination of David Souter, said the Manchester, N.H., Union Leader. He considered Souter an outstanding justice and counted his selection among his proudest achievements.

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After leaving the Senate, Rudman “extended his fight against the budget deficit” and co-chaired a federal commission on national security, said The New York Times. In February 2001, his panel warned of “attacks against American citizens on American soil, possibly causing heavy casualties.” At the time, he later said, “No one seemed to take it seriously, and no one in the media seemed to care. The report went into a dustbin in the White House.”