Departures of note

John Dennis Hastert was an American politician who served as the 51st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007, becoming the longest-serving Republican speaker in history. A Republican, he represented Illinois's 14th congressional district in the House from 1987 to 2007, having previously served in the Illinois legislature. Known as the "accidental speaker" after he emerged as a compromise choice following Newt Gingrich's resignation, he worked closely with President George W. Bush on his legislative agenda and oversaw the passage of major measures including the USA Patriot Act and No Child Left Behind. His tenure also gave rise to the informal "Hastert rule," which held that the House should only vote on bills supported by a majority of the majority party.

Before entering politics, Hastert was a high school teacher and wrestling coach in Yorkville, Illinois, for sixteen years, leading his team to a state title and being named Illinois Coach of the Year in 1976. After leaving Congress in 2007, he worked as a lobbyist and consultant.

In 2015, Hastert was indicted and pleaded guilty to federal banking violations related to structuring cash withdrawals that prosecutors said were hush-money payments to conceal his sexual abuse of teenage boys during his years as a wrestling coach. In 2016 he was sentenced to 15 months in prison, becoming the highest-ranking elected official in U.S. history to serve a prison sentence. He died at his home in Illinois in 2026 at the age of 84.