NORWALK, Conn. (AP) _ Donald J. Irwin, a Norwalk Democrat who served three terms in Congress, two years as state treasurer and four years as mayor of his hometown, has died. He was 86.
Irwin died from heart problems Sunday while in hospice care at his Norwalk home, his wife, Janet, said Tuesday.
He held the 4th Congressional District seat representing southwestern Connecticut for three terms, from 1959 to 1961 and from 1965 to 1969.
A year after losing his 1960 re-election bid to Republican Abner Sibal, Irwin was appointed state treasurer by Gov. John Dempsey to finish the term of John Speziale, who left office to become a judge. Irwin won back the congressional seat in 1964 by beating Sibal and was re-elected in 1966.
He lost the 1968 election for the House seat to Republican Lowell P. Weicker Jr., the future U.S. senator and Connecticut governor. Irwin returned to his law career after the defeat and went on to serve two terms as Norwalk mayor from 1971 to 1975.
“Connecticut lost a faithful public servant and a man known for his integrity and dedication to his state and country,” U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said in a statement.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy told The Hour of Norwalk that he knew Irwin as a child and always admired Irwin’s work.
“He was a straight shooter and told you what was on his mind,” Malloy said. “He was that kind of guy. I was saddened to hear the news.”
Irwin was born in 1926 in Argentina to American parents, according to his official congressional biography.
Shortly after beginning undergraduate studies at Yale University in New Haven in 1945, Irwin left school to serve in the U.S. Army in Brazil for the Joint Brazil-United States Military Commission.
After his military service, he returned to Yale, earned his bachelor’s and law degrees and became a lawyer. He also served on the Norwalk Board of Education before winning election to Congress.
A funeral service for Irwin is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Norwalk, followed by burial at St. John Cemetery in Norwalk.
Janet Irwin said her husband was outgoing, friendly and attentive to the people around him.
“He exuded a kind of charisma,” she said. “Everyone felt his warmth and reacted to it. He definitely was well-loved.”
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