Selecting a numerically capped list is always challenging, and when it came to the politicians who died this year. The list below covers political figures from 5 continents, from presidents, to diplomats, to nationalists, to tribal leaders. Two died in a plane crash, while one was murdered. Two died from a sudden illness, while one died after a prolonged illness in which his hold on power was constantly in question.
Jyoti Basu (1914–2010):
Born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on July 8, 1941, the Indian politician who served as the chief minister of West Bengal from 1977 to 2000 and was a cofounder of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) died in Kolkata on January 17.
Robert C. Byrd (1917–2010):
Born in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, on November 20, 1917, the U.S. politician who was the longest-serving member of the U.S. Senate and the longest-serving member of the Congress in U.S. history died at age 92 in Falls Church, Virginia, on June 28, 2010. Once a member of the Ku Klux Klan, the Democrat became an ardent supporter of civil rights.
Michael Foot (1913–2010):
Born on July 23, 1913, in Plymouth, England, the former leader of the British Labour Party (1980–83) died on March 3 in Hampstead, London. An intellectual left-wing socialist, he led Labour to a disastrous defeat at the hands of Margaret Thatcher in the June 1983 general election.
Richard Holbrooke (1941-2010):
Born on April 24, 1941, in New York, the American diplomat who brokered the Dayton Accords (1995), served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and the U.S. special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, died in a Washington, D.C., hospital on December 13 after suffering a torn aorta.
Lech Kaczyński (1949–2010):
Born on June 18, 1949, in Warsaw, Poland, the Polish president (2005–10) died on April 10 in a plane crash in Smolensk, Russia, with his wife and some 90 others on their way to commemorate the Katyn Massacre.
Néstor Kirchner (1950–2010):
Born on February 25, 1950, in Río Gallegos, Argentina, the former president of Argentina (2003–07) and husband of the current president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner died of a heart attack on October 27 in El Calafate. It was thought that he might seek the presidency again after his wife’s term ended.
Wilma Pearl Mankiller (1945–2010):
Born on November 18, 1945, in Talequah, Oklahoma, the Cherokee leader and activist died on April 6 in Adair county, Oklahoma. She was the first woman to become chief of a major tribe and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993.
Ted Stevens (1923–2010):
Born on November 18, 1923, in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Alaska Republican served for more than 40 years in the U.S. Senate and died in a plane crash on August 9 near Dillingham, Alaska. In a twist of fate, he had survived a plan crash in 1978 that had killed his first wife.
Eugène Ney Terre’Blanche (1941–2010):
Born on January 31, 1941, in Ventersdorp, South Africa, the South African farmer and Afrikaner nationalist was murdered in his home on April 3 near Ventersdorp. In his younger years, he became well known as a fiery public speaker with a penchant for wearing paramilitary uniforms and sporting neo-Nazi symbols.
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (1951–2010):
Born on August 16, 1951, in Katsina, Nigeria, he served as president of Nigeria from 2007 until his death after a prolonged illness on May 5 in Abuja. His inauguration had marked the first time in the country’s history that an elected civilian head of state had transferred power to another.Source:www.britannica.com
