US News

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert dies of natural causes at 84

The longest-serving Republican speaker later served a federal prison term related to hush-money bank withdrawals.

Updated Oct 6, 2026 · 16:52 UTC8 reports

The short version

Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert died at age 84 at his home over the weekend, local coroner officials confirmed.[NBC News · The Washington Sun · CBS News]
Hastert served as the longest-serving Republican speaker in history from 1999 to 2007 and was the namesake of the informal Hastert Rule.[NBC News · The Washington Sun · Fox News · CBS News]
He became the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to serve prison time after pleading guilty in 2015 to evading banking laws while concealing hush-money payments tied to past sexual abuse.[NBC News · The Washington Sun · Fox News · CBS News]

Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Purcell confirmed Dennis Hastert died at his home of natural causes over the weekend at age 84.[NBC News · The Washington Sun · CBS News]
Hastert served as Speaker of the House from 1999 to 2007, making him the longest-serving Republican speaker in U.S. history.[NBC News · The Washington Sun · CBS News]
In 2015, Hastert pleaded guilty to violating banking regulations by structuring cash transactions to conceal hush money paid to hide past sexual abuse of teenage wrestlers.[NBC News · The Washington Sun · CBS News]
Hastert was sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2016 and served 13 months before his release, making him the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to serve prison time.[The Washington Sun · Fox News · CBS News]
Hastert was never directly charged with sexual abuse because the statutes of limitations had expired.[NBC News · Fox News · CBS News]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.