Albert R. Hunt, Columnist

Remembering Tom Foley, and Civility in Washington

Tom Foley was a throwback: A superb politician, with policy expertise, who believed in the politics of civility and comity.

October 18, 2013 at 7:16 PM UTC

By Albert R. Hunt

Albert R. Hunt is a former Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He was the executive editor of Bloomberg News, before which he was a reporter, bureau chief and executive Washington editor at the Wall Street Journal.

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Tom Foley was a throwback: A superb politician, with policy expertise, who believed in the politics of civility and comity; a Democratic speaker of the House and a close friend of Republican Dick Cheney of Wyoming.

Foley, who died at the age of 84 today, became speaker in 1989 when Democrat Jim Wright was forced to resign. He served through 1994 when he was swept out of office in a Republican landslide. As a representative, Foley represented one of the most conservative districts in his home state of Washington for 30 years and commanded the respect of his fellow House Democrats, enabling him to rise in the leadership ranks.