Lou Frey: Former longtime congressman from Winter Park has died

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Former U.S. Rep. Lou Frey Jr., 85, has died, the University of Central Florida said Tuesday.

The longtime Republican congressman from Winter Park served five terms in Congress between 1969 and 1979.

Frey enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1955 and retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve as a captain in 1978.

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He became the Orange County assistant county solicitor in 1961 and later ran for Florida governor and U.S. senator.

In the early 1970s, Frey convinced President Richard Nixon to allow the city of Orlando to take over McCoy Air Force Base, which later became Orlando International Airport.

Frey is the namesake of the Lou Frey Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit in the UCF College of Sciences that he founded to "promote the development of enlightened, responsible and engaged citizens."

In 2010, he worked with former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham to help pass the Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Civic Education Act.

"He was a man who could cross party lines and who appealed to so many in this state for his honor, his attention to constituents and his love of Florida and his country," the university said in a statement. "Congressman Frey: You will be missed."

Click here to read more about Frey's career, and watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News for an in-depth look into his service.

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