CARIBOU, Maine (AP) Don Collins, the father of Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and a former mayor of a northern Maine city, has died at age 92.

Collins, a Republican like his daughter, was a longstanding figure in Maine politics. He spent five terms in the Maine legislature from the 1970s to the 1990s, and served as mayor of Caribou.

The Bangor Daily News reports Don Collins died on Saturday night. His death was greeted with sadness from all ends of the political spectrum in Maine. Independent Sen. Angus King called him “the best of Maine.”

Collins is survived by his wife, Patricia Collins, to whom he was married for 70 years. He’s also survived by six children, including Susan, who was elected in 1996.