Former Missouri Gov. Joseph P. Teasdale died Thursday afternoon. He was 78.
Teasdale's eldest son, Bill Teasdale, told The Associated Press that his father died of complications from pneumonia shortly after 5 p.m. at a Kansas City, Missouri, hospice center. He said his father was surrounded by family.
Gov. Jay Nixon has ordered flags at all Missouri state facilities to be flown at half-staff until Teasdale is buried.
Teasdale, a Democrat, defeated incumbent Republican Kit Bond in 1976, then lost his 1980 re-election bid to Bond.
Nixon called Teasdale a dedicated public servant and "a good man whose life was guided by a deep and abiding faith and a commitment to public service."
During his four years as governor, Nixon noted, Teasdale especially was known for actions supporting senior citizens, including creation of the Division of Aging, pushing for passage of a Nursing Home Reform Act and supporting removal of the state's sales tax on prescription drugs.
He earned the nickname "Walkin' Joe" for his primary campaign across the state.
Teasdale served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Kansas City, heading up the organized crime section.
At 30, he became the youngest prosecuting attorney in Jackson County's history.
A Kansas City native, Teasdale graduated from Rockhurst High School and Rockhurst University. He earned his law degree from St. Louis University.
He returned to Jackson County following his 1980 election loss and resumed a private law practice, generally avoiding public and political attention and giving few interviews.
Bill Teasdale said his father's interest in politics waned after he left office.
"After he got out of politics, his interest in it diminished, especially the last 30 years or so it wasn't his passion. It was his friends and family," Bill Teasdale said, adding that he'd like his father to be remembered also as a devout Catholic.
Democratic political strategist Steve Glorioso told the Kansas City Star that Teasdale was a "bigger than life personality who loved campaigning and meeting people more than governing. Honest to the core and always with the best intentions."
The Jackson County Democratic Committee also issued a statement, praising Teasdale as "a tremendous asset to Missouri in his nearly two decades of civic service."
Teasdale is survived by his wife, Theresa Teasdale, his sons Bill, John and Kevin, all of Kansas City, and his two sisters, Bernadette Teasdale, of Denver, and Ginny Keenan, of Franktown, Colo. He also had five grandchildren.
The family has not announced funeral arrangements yet.