Ted Stevens: Former Alaska Senator May Have Died in Plane Crash

Senator Ted Stevens 

Former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens may have died in a plane crash about 20 miles north of Dillingham, Alaska. He was on board a small plane reportedly owned by a firm called GCI, which is Alaska's telecommunications provider, according to The New York Times.

Also on board was former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, said to be a "fishing buddy" of Senator Stevens. In all five people are said to have passed away in the crash.

Ted Stevens is a Legend in Politics

This is one of those moments when you put down party affiliation to take time and celebrate the great works of a legend in politics. Senator Stevens served the public of Alaska for 6 decades, which is 60 years for those who don't know what a decade is.

Over that time, Stevens worked with both sides of the aisle of Congress to get large economic development deals done for his great state of Alaska. Most notable of them was the giant Trans-Atlantic Pipeline, where he pushed the Senate to pass the Trans-Atlantic Pipeline Authorization Act, which led to its construction.

But Stevens was also concerned about protecting Alaska wilderness, and pushed for the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.

For his work, Stevens was called the "Alaskan of The 20th Century."

UPDATE: as of this writing, the Anchorage Daily News reports that the source claiming that Ted Stevens was killed now "isn't sure" as of 10:30 AM PDT. There are three survivors, but no one knows who they are as of this writing.

Stay tuned.