'Senator No', Jesse Helms Dies at 86

Advertising

According to ABC News, he was dubbed "Senator No" by the Raleigh News & Observer, and his response was, "It wasn't meant as a compliment, but I certainly took it as one."

Railing against the reach of government was a favorite cause for Helms, except when it came to moral issues. In those cases, Helms believed government deserved to be a player.

"Big government cannot and will not solve the multitude of problems confronting our nation ... because big government is the problem," he told the North Carolina General Assembly in 1997.

Helms was a five-term Republican U.S. Senator and former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. (Bio here)

Throughout his career he was involved with many controversies, being labeled racist on many occasions for what was has been referred to as his "antiquated" views.

Senator Helms was the first legislator from any country to speak before the United Nations Security Council and was known for his strong support of the U.S. Military as well as for the Jesse Helms Center Foundation which has a variety of programs offered and little or no cost.

According to Ed Feulner, who is the president of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, "Along with Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, he helped establish the conservative movement and became a powerful voice for free markets and free people."

Helms had suffered from faltering health and no cause of death has been released yet.

Sympathies to his family and friends.