The Economic Times

Who was Dennis Hastert? How the death of the longest-serving Republican House speaker highlights dark history of child abuse and a powerful political career

Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican House speaker, died at 84 due to natural causes. He served from 1999 to 2007 and represented Illinois in Congress for two decades. Hasterts political rise was later marred by revelations of his sexual abuse of teenage boys he coached. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal banking violations.