Former Congressman Pete McCloskey died last week at the age of 96. By anyone’s definition, Pete was a hero—courageous and selfless on the battlefield, fearless and principled in elective office, an advocate for justice and equity, and always a truth-teller even when he paid a price for speaking out.

Pete entered the national consciousness in 1967 when following the death of the incumbent Representative he won a special election to Congress. The contest attracted attention because Pete’s main opponent was former film star Shirley Temple Black, who was endorsed by fellow actor Ronald Reagan, and because this highly decorated Marine Colonel was a vocal critic of the Vietnam war. Pete won that election and seven subsequent reelection contests. His victory, the first by a Republican opponent of the war, sent shockwaves through Congress.

In Congress, Pete continued to challenge his party and the nation. Pete knew the horrors of combat and opposed Nixon’s continuation of a war that had taken too many lives and could never be won. And after the 1972 election—when it was revealed that Nixon ordered covert operatives to break into his Democratic opponent’s headquarters and then tried to cover up this crime—Pete became the first congressional........

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