Former Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., died Thursday at his home in Billings, according to a report.
Burns, who suffered a stroke in 2009, had recovered from the incident and was an active member of his community over the past seven years. He was seen having coffee in town Thursday morning.
Burns served in the Senate from 1989 to 2007 as only the second Republican senator to represent Big Sky Country since 1913. He was also the longest-serving GOP member of the upper chamber in state history.
He lost the 2006 election and joined the lobbying firm GAGE, which was founded by his former chief of staff. He later founded the Rural Solutions Corporation, a company focused on expanding broadcast communications to less-populated areas, and went on to lobby for the American Quarter Horse Association.
He is survived by his wife, Phyllis, and two children.
