Sunday, October 13th 2019
James Lancaster, Number 3 Republican in Senate, dead at 75
The family of Senator James Lancaster (R-KY) announced today that the senator died last night at his Owensboro home. Lancaster reportedly had been feeling "under the weather" and retired early, and when his wife tried to wake him, was unresponsive. Emergency medical services were called, but Lancaster was pronounced dead after their arrival. An autopsy will be performed to discover the exact cause of death.
Senators from both parties expressed their shock and sadness at Lancaster's sudden passing. Senate Majority Leader Cody Riley (R-AL) said that Lancaster was a "solid, dependable and dedicated public servant", while Kentucky's other senator, Calvin Bowles (D-KY) lamented the loss of a "dear friend and colleague". Lancaster's opposite on the Senate Ethics Committee, Vice Chair Chris Casey (D-CT) said he would miss Lancaster's "frank and straightforward way of assessing and solving problems".
Lancaster had represented Kentucky since 2005, replacing future Labor Secretary George "Hawk" Fuller, and has been chair of the Senate Republican Conference since 2015. Before he was a powerful senator, Lancaster was a boy from Owensboro, born there in 1944. After graduating from the University of Kentucky in 1966, he joined the Marine Corps as an officer and served three tours in Vietnam, fighting at Khe Sanh and at numerous other locations all over South Vietnam. He would retire as a captain in 1973, and was always reticent to discuss his wartime experiences. After returning home, he and his wife Jackie used money inherited from her father to buy out several appliance stores in Owensboro and consolidate them into J&J Appliances, which still has several locations throughout Kentucky today.
He began his political career in 1996, winning his first term as mayor of Owensboro after being persuaded to run by other members of the local Chamber of Commerce. Lancaster's deft handling of a police corruption scandal and revitalization of Owensboro's downtown district led to his name being floated for higher office, and when Fuller announced that he would not seek reelection in 2004, Lancaster embarked on a remarkable and methodical campaign to introduce himself to Republican voters across the state. The effort worked, and he won both the primary election and general election against Democratic Representative Matthew Perkins.
While in the Senate, Lancaster's laconic demeanor and solid Republican voting record endeared him to party leaders, although his spirited defense of tobacco companies led some to be wary of raising him up the party's leadership ranks. West Virginia Governor Ray Sullivan, however, was not deterred by this, and in his unsuccessful primary bid against Glen Allen Walken in 2010, Sullivan announced that he would select Lancaster as his running mate. After Walken was elected president, Lancaster slowly moved up the party's Senate leadership ranks, becoming the number 3 member of the party in the Senate and chair of the Senate Ethics Committee in 2017 when the Republicans retook the Senate.
Governor Ed Barrie (R-KY) will nominate a replacement for Lancaster, who will serve until a special election next year to fill the remainder of the term. When the Senate reconvenes on Tuesday, it is likely that Republican leaders will elect Lancaster's successors as both chair of the Senate Republican Committee and chair of the Senate Ethics Committee. Per the US Code, President Seaborn has ordered all flags lowered to half-mast for the remainder of the day in Lancaster's honor.
James Lancaster, 1944-2019 (photo by: Robert Forster)
