Forced into exile as a boy, the Florida Republican became a voice for democracy in his native Cuba and a committed champion of immigrants.

Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute Chair Lincoln Díaz-Balart, who served in both chambers of the Florida Legislature before winning a long-held seat in Congress, has died. He was 70. Díaz-Balart’s brother, U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, shared word of his death Monday.

Balart, who served in the Florida House, the Florida Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives, died on Monday, according to his brother Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart. He was 70.