Former Senator Birch Bayh has passed away.
Bayh’s family released a statement saying he died early Thursday, March 14, surrounded by his family at his home in Easton, Maryland.
Bayh who wrote the landmark federal Title IX law banning discrimination against women in college admissions and sports.
Bayh was a liberal Democrat whose son, Evan, followed him into Indiana politics, becoming Indiana’s governor and later a senator.
Bayh was a farmer and state legislator before winning his first Senate term in 1962. He twice won tough re-election bids until he was defeated by Dan Quayle in 1980.
Bayh championed the Title IX law in 1972 when women earned fewer than 10 percent of all medical and law degrees. He also sponsored constitutional amendments lowering the voting age to 18 and allowing the replacement of vice presidents.
The Indianapolis Star reports Bayh died due to pneumonia.
Governor Eric Holcomb offered the following statement:
“Birch Bayh was a trailblazer who dedicated himself to improving the lives of all Hoosiers. His remarkable legislative and personal legacy transformed the country and will live on for years to come. I ask Hoosiers around the state to join me and Janet in honoring his incredible service and by keeping the Bayh family in your thoughts and prayers.”
