Former congressman and state Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner Ogden R. Reid died on Saturday in Waccabuc, Westchester County. He was 93 years old.

According to his congressional biography, Reid began his career as the publisher, president and editor of the New York Herald Tribune before enlisting in the Army in 1943. After his military service, Reid served as the U.S. ambassador to Israel and then as the chairman of the New York State Commission for Human Rights.

In 1963, Reid was elected as a Republican to Congress and was re-elected a number of times, including the election after he switched party affiliation to Democratic. In 1974, Reid declined to seek re-election to Congress and instead sought the governorship of the Empire State.

He dropped out of the race before the election, but the winner, Hugh Carey, appointed Reid to lead the DEC. His DEC tenure lasted from January 1975 to May 1976. According to his obituary in the New York Times, Reid resigned the post over differences with Carey, including how General Electric’s dumping of PCBs in the Hudson River was handled.

Reid also faced scrutiny due to his ownership of stock in companies that came under the purview of the DEC.

“Reid left one of his greatest marks while serving as DEC Commissioner under Governor Hugh Carey. During his tenure as commissioner, Reid was instrumental in stopping General Electric from continuing to contaminate the Hudson River with PCBs — a legacy issue that we continue to confront to this day,” the DEC said in a statement. “As we say goodbye and thank you to former Commissioner Reid, all of us here at DEC can honor his legacy as stewards of New York’s environment by following his example and redoubling our efforts to stand up for our natural resources and our communities. Our thoughts are with the Reid family at this difficult time.”