Former Sen. Warren Rudman dead at 82

Former Republican Sen. Warren Rudman of New Hampshire has died, his press secretary Bob Stevenson confirmed Tuesday. He was 82.

Known as a centrist, Rudman was elected to the Senate in 1980 and served for two terms until 1993. Following his tenure on Capitol Hill, Rudman practiced law in Washington, D.C., where he was appointed by former President Bill Clinton to the president's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.

In that capacity, he was co-chairman, along with former Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart, of the U.S. Commission on National Security, which called for the creation of a homeland security department in 2001, six months prior to the September 11th attacks, according to Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm chaired by Rudman.

The former senator also served as a national co-chairman for Sen. John McCain's 2000 presidential campaign.

Rudman was a life-long resident of New Hampshire and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Syracuse University in 1952. He served in the U.S. Army as a combat platoon leader and company commander during the Korean War, according to the Concord Coalition, a non-profit fiscal policy group that was founded and co-chaired by Rudman.

Following his time in the war, Rudman earned his law degree from Boston College Law School and began his career in Nashua, New Hampshire, where he was later appointed as attorney general for the state.