Hastert, Denny (1942- )

US Republican politician, speaker of the House of Representatives from 1999. Hastert served in the Illinois General Assembly from 1980 until 1986, when he was first elected a representative to Congress for the 14th District of Illinois. He was appointed in 1993 as the House Republican representative on the White House Healthcare Reform Task Force, chaired by Hillary Clinton, and chaired the Speaker's Steering Committee on Health and the Resource Group on Health. He was appointed chief deputy whip for the Republicans in 1995, and was a member of the Commerce Committee and the Committee of Government Reform and Oversight.

As one of the Republicans' leading figures on healthcare issues, he oversaw the party's successful opposition to Clinton's healthcare plan in 1994 and the crafting of an alternative to Democratic proposals for reforming health maintenance organizations (HMOs) in 1998. He also spearheaded Republican antidrug initiatives.

Hastert succeeded Newt Gingrich as speaker, who resigned from Congress after the Republican Party lost five seats in the November 1998 mid-term elections.

Known more as a behind-the-scenes deal-maker and a tactician than a conservative purist, Hastert was chosen unanimously by Republicans mainly because of his solid conservative voting record and his conciliatory manner. As soft-spoken as his predecessor Newt Gingrich was outspoken, and avowedly bipartisan in spirit, Halstert was considered capable of bridging serious divisions within the party, that had held up key bills in Congress's previous session and hurt the Republicans in the polls.