Donald Riegle

Political life U.S. Representative In 1966, Richard Nixon persuaded Riegle to return to Michigan to run for Congress. Riegle was then 28 years old and considered to be a moderate-to-liberal Republican. Nixon attended an early campaign fundraiser, and talked up Riegle's prospects to reporters.

In 1973 Riegle was one of the co-sponsors of H.R. 8163, a bill to prevent discrimination on the basis of sex or marital status in the granting of credit, also known as the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. Sponsored by Congresswoman Bella Abzug, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act was passed by the House and the Senate in 1974 and was signed into law by President Gerald Ford on October 28, 1974.

In 1972, Riegle authored a best-selling book, O Congress , with Trevor Armbrister. The book provides an inside look at the workings of Congress, Riegle's opposition to the Vietnam War, and his break with the Nixon White House. There, he was instrumental in building the company's government affairs practice and played an important part in the procurement of Powell Tate, a government affairs firm that is now owned by Weber Shandwick and still operating in Washington D.C., under its independent brand. As the company grew, he took on more responsibility and eventually served as deputy chairman. He joined public relations firm APCO Worldwide in 2001, as chairman of government relations in Washington, D.C.

He endorsed Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in both 2016 and 2020.

Personal life and death Riegle was married three times. He was married to Nancy Brandt from 1957 to 1971. He was married to Meredith White, the niece of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron White, from 1972 to 1977. Both marriages ended in divorce. In 1978, he married Lori Hansen, a U.S. Senate staffer and Social Security policy specialist. They remained married for 48 years until his passing.

Riegle died from cardiac arrest at his home in San Diego, on April 24, 2026, at the age of 88.