Arlen Specter was an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1981 to 2011, becoming the longest-serving senator from the state during his 30-year tenure. Born on February 12, 1930, in Wichita, Kansas, to Russian Jewish immigrant parents (with ancestral ties to Ukraine), he was the youngest child of Harry Specter (a junkyard owner) and Lillie (née Shanin) Specter, and was raised in Russell, Kansas, during the Great Depression. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1951 with a B.A. in international relations, he served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War era as a second lieutenant in the Office of Special Investigations, then earned a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1956, where he was editor of the Yale Law Journal. He began his political career as a Democrat (1951-1965), switching to the Republican Party in 1965 to successfully run for Philadelphia District Attorney, where he served two terms from 1966 to 1974. Specter first gained national attention as assistant counsel for the Warren Commission, where he helped formulate the single-bullet theory regarding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. After several unsuccessful bids for higher office, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980 as a Republican. Known for his moderate, independent streak, combative questioning style (nicknamed 'Snarlin' Arlen'), and willingness to cross party lines, he chaired key committees including the Judiciary Committee, the Intelligence Committee, and Veterans' Affairs Committee, playing pivotal roles in Supreme Court confirmations (including those of Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas, during which he aggressively questioned Anita Hill), the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton, and in national security, intelligence, and post-9/11 anti-terrorism efforts. A vocal advocate for civil rights, supporter of abortion rights, and backer of civil unions for gay couples, Specter was committed to logical argument and political independence. In 2009, facing a tough primary challenge from the right and citing the Republican Party's shift toward excessive conservatism, he switched back to the Democratic Party, a move that gave Democrats a filibuster-proof majority, but he lost the 2010 Democratic primary to Joe Sestak, ending his Senate career. He authored two books, 'Passion for Truth' (2000) and 'Never Give In' (2008), documenting his political life and battle with cancer. Specter faced health challenges including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (cause of death), Hodgkin's disease, a brain tumor, and heart bypass surgery. He passed away on October 14, 2012, in Philadelphia at age 82 from complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.