Slade Gorton, Former US Senator From Washington, Dies at 92

In this Sept. 24, 2007, file photo, former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton speaks in Seattle. Gorton, who served three terms as a U.S. senator from Washington State and later served on the 9/11 Commission, has died. He was 92. Ted S. Warren/AP Photo/File

SEATTLE—Slade Gorton, a patrician and cerebral politician from Washington state who served as a U.S. Senate Republican leader before he was ousted by the growing Seattle-area liberal electorate in 2000, has died. He was 92.

Gorton died Wednesday in Seattle, said J. Vander Stoep, who served as his chief of staff in the Senate.