Former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert dies at 84

Hastert served eights years as speaker of the House – the chamber's top congressman – longer than any Republican in U.S. history

By Joseph Weber

Published: October 5, 2026 9:43am

Updated: October 5, 2026 9:45am

Former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert died over the weekend, according to Kendall County Coroner’s Office in Illinois. He was 84 years old.

Hastert served eights years as speaker of the House – the chamber's top congressman – longer than any Republican in U.S. history, according to NBC News. After leaving Congress, he served over a year in prison for trying to cover up sexual abuse allegations.

The former Illinois lawmaker died at his home due to natural causes,” the coroner’s office Monday statement.

Nearly a decade later, Hastert faced allegations that he molested four teenagers, ages 14 to 17, in the 1970s, when he was a wrestling coach at Yorkville High School in Illinois. He pleaded guilty in 2015 to orchestrating cash withdrawals to hide hush-money payments to one of his sexual-abuse accusers.

He was sentenced to 15 months in prison and released from a prison hospital in 2017, NBC News also reports.