
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 20, 1991                   TAG: 9104200021
SECTION: NATL/INTL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: TUCSON, ARIZ.                                LENGTH: Medium

UDALL RESIGNING SEAT

Rep. Morris Udall, who brought a rare sense of humor to his three decades in Congress and once sought the presidency, announced Friday that he was resigning because of ill health.

The 68-year-old Udall, who has Parkinson's disease and recently suffered injuries in a fall, will resign his House seat effective May 4, said his administrative aide, Matt James.

The announcement ended months of speculation about Udall's health and political future. It came 13 days before the 30th anniversary of a special election Udall won May 2, 1961.

Udall, the only Democrat among five House members from Arizona, has been hospitalized for nearly four months. His condition was complicated by several broken ribs, a fractured shoulder blade and a concussion that he suffered when he fell down stairs in his McLean, Va., home, in January.

Even before the announcement, politicians praised Udall for his integrity, long service and effectiveness.

"He will be missed; he cannot be replaced," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Thursday. "He will be succeeded but he cannot be replaced."

Udall announced last year that he would retire from Congress at the end of this term.

But on April 5, Udall's wife, Norma, wrote Foley to say Udall might have to resign because of his poor health. Parkinson's disease is progressive deterioration of nerve centers in the brain that interferes with body coordination and movement.

Last month, Udall was transferred from the National Rehabilitation Hospital to the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Washington because of cost. His deteriorated physical condition precluded Udall from announcing his resignation himself.

Keywords:
POLITICS

by CNB