Mike Castle, one of Delaware's longest serving and best-known political figures has died. He was 86.
Castle's political career spanned over 40 years. He served two terms as Governor from 1985 to 1992. He then served nine-terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2011, making him the longest serving Congressman from the First State.
He also served in the Delaware House and Senate and as Lt. Governor under Gov. Pete du Pont.
Castle ran for the U.S. Senate in 2010, seeking to fill the seat Joe Biden vacated after 36 years when Biden became Vice President. But Castle suffered a stunning upset in the Republican primary, losing to Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell. It was the only loss in Castle's political career.
O'Donnell went on to lose to Democrat Chris Coons on the general election.
Coons, who still holds the seat, remembered Castle Thursday as "kind, genuine, civically minded, responsible – an old-fashioned Republican."
"Over the arc of the more than 40 years that I knew him – I met him when I was 16 – he repeatedly provided his knowledge and expertise to help me along my own way. When he was a congressman and I was county executive, we worked together often, including some important investments into the C&D Canal greenway," said Coons in a statement. "“I was able to enjoy visiting with him and getting advice from him several times in my first few years in the Senate."
The recreational trail along the C&D Canal is named the Michael N. Castle trail in honor of Castle.
“I’m not wild about things being named for me. It’s sort of like (people are saying) ‘it’s over and we’re naming things after you’,” said Castle at the time. “Having said that, it’s very kind of them to do it and if you’re going to have something named for you, I’d just as soon have an outdoor trail named for me.”
At a 2013 ceremony marking the the trail's completion, then Gov. Jack Markell called it tribute to Castle’s tenacious leadership.
“They may not know a lot about you one hundred years from now," said Markell. "But they’re going to know back in 2013 and the years before that, there was a great leader in Delaware who was willing to do what he had to do to make sure that generations to come would be better off.”
Castle was known for his commitment to taking a bipartisan approach to politics, often known locally as "the Delaware Way."
At event featuring past chiefs of staff of Delaware governors that Castle moderated, he explained why he believed in that approach.
“I think the Delaware Way is frankly the way to go. It’s why Delaware has been successful. I would hope that those that come from afar will learn from that and realize that by working together when you’re a small state you can get more done than fighting each other all the time,” said Castle at the time.
Current Gov. Matt Meyer, in a statement, lauded Castle's contributions to improving health care access, strengthening schools in Delaware and maintaining financial discipline while using that bipartisan approach.
“With humor and grit, his work kept Delawareans’ interests at heart and earned him widespread respect lasting far beyond partisan lines," said Meyer in his statement. “Governor Castle was a leader in a generation of Delawareans who put people before politics—whose bipartisan spirit and dedication to service set a standard to which we all aspire."
Castle's accomplishments and approach drew praise from other political figures on both sides of the aisle.
"Former Governor and Congressman Castle was not just a leader in the Delaware Republican Party, but has long been revered as a distinguished statesman by those across the political spectrum," said State Senate President Pro Tempore Dave Sokola (D-Newark) and Senate Minority Leader Gerald Hocker (R-Ocean View) i a joint statement. "His legacy of public service embodies the best of what “the Delaware Way” has had to offer our state over the years: responsive leadership, mutual respect, and a willingness to collaborate with anyone on behalf of the people of Delaware."
"Throughout his decades of public service, from the Delaware House of Representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives, he embodied civility, pragmatism, and a willingness to work inclusively in pursuit of the common good," said Delaware House Republican leader Tim Dukes (R-Laurel), in a statement.
“Castle’s legacy of a balanced fiscal approach to further economic development is a hallmark that continues to this day. One of his biggest accomplishments was the creation of the Transportation Trust Fund, an initiative that may be unseen by the public, but has had an enormous impact on every single Delawarean," said Delaware House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown (D-New Castle), House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris (D-Dover), and House Majority Whip Ed Osienski (D-Newark) in a joint statement. "We are grateful that his legacy of environmental conservation carries on with the recreational trail along the C&D Canal, which is named in his honor."
Delaware's current Congresswoman, Sarah McBride and Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester both called Castle political giant in Delaware.
“He was a man of decency who understood the importance of respect and collaboration in public service, always working for the common good of our state of neighbors," said McBride in a statement. "Mike helped build the Delaware of today and, in Congress, expanded investment in research, the arts, and small businesses. He worked across the aisle often and courageously."
"As one of his hundreds of thousands of constituents, I always admired how gracefully he led," said Blunt Rochester in her statement. "From his focus on educating our children and maintaining fiscal responsibility to his commitment to protecting our environment, his presence throughout our state will be missed."
Castle was a Wilmington native and graduate of Tower Hill School in Wilmington. He earned his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College in New York and a law degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
He also worked as an associate for the Wilmington firm Connolly, Bove and Lodge, before later becoming a partner and also had a brief stint as a Delaware deputy attorney general.
