A lifelong public servant, Dennis Moore was a centrist Democrat from Kansas who represented a Republican Congressional district for six terms. He held his seat largely because of his old-fashioned approach to public service.
Dennis Moore died November 2 after a decade-long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He would have been 76 on November 8.
In a statement, his wife, Stephene Moore, said during his fight with Alzheimer’s disease, he “remained happy, gracious, dignified and with a constant sense of humor for which he was known.” The statement went on to reveal the former Congressmen died after “a brief battle with cancer.”
Moore was known for coming home for local events — the dedication of a memorial or the opening of a new veteran’s program. A throwback to a gentler, more humane era in politics, he was passionate about civility.
U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a colleague from Missouri’s 5th Congression District, served on the House Financial Services Committee with Moore for many years, and says he has stayed in regular touch with him since Moore left office.
“The Dennis Moore we knew may not have been as comfortable in Congress today because of the tribalism and the way our democracy has been threatened,” Cleaver said. “Dennis Moore was one of the good guys who never deviated from a stern-but-always-gentlemanly style of work on both sides of the aisle.”
Moore won reelection to Congress five times by positioning himself as a moderate Democrat.
