A World War II veteran who served as a state lawmaker in New York for four decades has died.

Former state Sen. Bill Larkin died Saturday, less than a year after retiring, his family announced Sunday. He was 91.

Larkin represented a stretch of the Hudson Valley as an assemblyman from 1979 to 1990 and then as a state senator for 28 years.

A Republican, he was known for forging bipartisan friendships in Albany and advancing veterans' causes and health care for infants.

Larkin, a native of Troy, New York, served with the Army in the Pacific during WWII and also fought in the Korean War.

He rose through the ranks, starting as a private and retiring 23 years later as a lieutenant colonel.

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In a statement posted on Facebook, Larkin’s family said, “America and the state of New York have lost a dedicated public servant, soldier and statesman. Our family lost a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and so much more… It is our hope that all of the people whose lives Bill touched in some way over the years will join us in celebrating his life over the coming days.”

Details of his funeral services will be released soon.

 

AP Wire Services contributed to this report.