Republican Michael N. Castle, a fixture in Delaware politics for a half-century who previously served as governor and a member of Congress, died Thursday at age 86.

“During his time as governor, Mike Castle visited every single school in our state, including mine, where he spoke to my high school class with the same warmth, humility, and commitment to public service that defined his career,” Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer, a Democrat, said in a statement directing that flags be lowered to honor Castle. “That moment, among others, demonstrated what a good man he was and how deeply he cared about Delaware’s future.”

Castle served as governor for two terms before being elected to the House in 1992, where he went on to serve nine terms. In 2010, he entered the Republican primary for a special Sena

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