(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
By Brian Brant
(RICHMOND, Va.) Former Virginia Sen. John Warner, who served in the U.S. Senate for three decades, died Tuesday at 94, according to CNN.
The Republican who served from 1979 up until his retirement in 2009, first served in the US Navy during World War II and in the Marines during the Korean War.
He would later serve as a Navy secretary to President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974.
Warner's military experience led him to be one of the most respected authorities in Washington on the military and on national security issues, even serving as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Democratic Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine shared their thoughts on Warner's death on Twitter.