IU: Former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton dies

Written from press release

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — February 4, 2026

Former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton, 94, a longtime Indiana congressman and Indiana University alumnus who later returned to IU as a scholar and instructor, has died, the university said Wednesday.

Indiana University President Pamela Whitten confirmed Hamilton’s death in a university statement released Feb. 4, calling him one of the nation’s most influential public servants on democracy, global engagement and “principled leadership.”

Hamilton’s ties to IU “are both deep and lasting,” Whitten said, noting he earned his law degree at IU Bloomington and later returned as a Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Practice, teaching and mentoring students. Whitten also pointed to his legacy at IU through the Center on Representative Government and the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

Hamilton represented southern Indiana in the U.S. House for more than three decades and later became a prominent figure in national policy and foreign affairs work after leaving Congress.

The post IU: Former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton dies first appeared on The Bloomingtonian.