Former Arizona Congressman Dies In DC At Age 67

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MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Former Arizona congressman Jay Rhodes has died in Washington, D.C., from complications following an automobile accident last year. He was 67. Family members say Rhodes died Thursday at the Veterans Administration Medical Center. They say he had been treated for three fractured vertebrae suffered in an October car crash and took a turn for the worse about 10 days ago. Born in Mesa, Rhodes was a Republican who served Arizona’s First Congressional District from 1987 to 1993. He was the son of the late Arizona congressman John Rhodes, who held the same First District seat from 1953 to 1983. Jay Rhodes, whose formal name was John Jacob Rhodes III, succeeded John McCain to the House seat in January 1987 after McCain was elected to the Senate. The graduate of Yale and the University of Arizona law school worked as a government relations attorney in Washington after being unseated. Rhodes is survived by his wife, Jane; four sons, two brothers, a sister and his mother. The East Valley Tribune says private services will be held in Washington.