Arlen Specter: Longtime Pennsylvania Senator Dies at 82

Arlen Specter was an American politician. Born on February 12, 1930, in Wichita, Kansas, he grew up in Russell, Kansas, and became a lawyer.

He served on the Warren Commission and developed the single-bullet theory. He represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate from 1981 to 2011, as a Republican until 2009 and then as a Democrat. He cast a deciding vote on the Clarence Thomas and Robert Bork nominations.

He fought Hodgkin's lymphoma and other cancers. Specter died of complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Philadelphia on October 14, 2012, at age 82.

Achievements: U.S. Senator (1981-2011).

Birth: February 12, 1930 - Wichita, Kansas.

Profession: Politician.

Interesting Facts: He switched parties in 2009.