Hundreds of mourners have paid their final respects to former U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, a New York Democrat who became a household name during the Love Canal saga in Niagara Falls.
Funeral services for the longtime Hudson Valley congressman and member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee were held Wednesday at St. John the Evangelist Church in Saugerties, NY.
Hinchey died last Wednesday at age 79. He had been battling a terminal neurological disorder.
As chair of the State Assembly's Environmental Conservation Committee, Hinchey pressed to protect the environment during a career that spanned from hearings into the Love Canal toxic waste site to the recent debate over natural gas fracking.
He was remembered during the service as a devoted family man, a die-hard New York Yankees fan and a dedicated public official who served 20 years in Congress and 18 years in the Assembly.
