Robin Beard, a former Republican House Member from Tennessee, died on Saturday in South Carolina after a yearlong battle with a brain tumor. He was 67.

Representing Tennessee’s 6th district, Beard was an authority on national security issues and served on the Armed Services Committee.

He was a Member from 1972 to 1983, when he retired after unsuccessfully running for a Senate seat. He later served as NATO’s assistant secretary general for defense support.

At the time of his death, he was living in Charleston County, S.C., where he was running for a seat on the county’s school board. He also ran last year but was not elected.

Beard’s colleagues have fond memories of the politician whom they describe as both friendly and easygoing.

“Regardless of whether you agreed with him politically, Robin was the kind of guy who would always greet you with a big smile. When I think of him, I think of his tremendous sense of humor, which I know will be missed,” Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) told Roll Call through a spokesperson.

Gordon, currently in his 12th term in office, took over Beard’s seat in the 6th district from Al Gore, who was Beard’s immediate successor.

Funeral services for Beard, who is survived by his wife and three children, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the French Huguenot Church in Charleston.

— Rob Silverblatt