Following a two month battle with brain cancer former Nebraska U.S. Congressman Brad Ashford passed away peacefully Tuesday morning at the age of 72 with his family at his bedside.
Ashford represented Nebraska’s second Congressional District and spent 16 years as a state senator in Nebraska’s Unicameral. Shortly after announcing his brain cancer diagnosis in February Ashford said “one must never give up hope. There is always hope. We have work to do. We need a new attitude. Solutions over politics, our kids deserve that of us.”
As a freshman U.S. Congressman Ashford was able to make significant accomplishments in politically gridlocked Washington, including passing pioneering legislation that created the first public-private partnership for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to construct the Omaha Veterans Ambulatory Care Center. It is a model used across the country.
As a state senator, Ashford successfully championed legislation to implement the first in the country permit to purchase handguns (Brady Bill), save Joslyn Castle, create the Learning Communities, reform the juvenile justice system, allow stem-cell research continuation and guarantee undocumented pregnant mothers Medicaid coverage.
“We have lost a giant of a man, whose steadfast ideals represented the best of humankind. He was each of our biggest fan and pushed us to do better every day. The magnitude of our grief is immense but we are comforted by his legacy.” his family said in a statement.