Former Connecticut Governor Thomas J. Meskill died of a heart attack this morning at a hospital in Florida. The Republican governor served from 1971 to 1975, during which time the Department of Environmental Protection was established, as well as the state lottery system. Meskill, who also served as mayor of New Britain and a U.S. Representative, was elected to Congress in 1966 and served until 1970. He also served as a judge on the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals from 1975 to 1993, becoming chief judge in his last year. A funeral will be held in his hometown of New Britain.
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