As the election coverage deluge bores on, the political world was hit with a bit of sad news Monday morning.
Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, the first woman to ascend to that post, died Monday as a result of complications of Parkinson's disease in her South Florida home.
Her death comes the day before the nation may elect its first woman president in Hillary Clinton, and serves as a reminder of Clinton's husband's legacy, both good and bad.
In her own right, Reno had a reputation for being tough and independent,
The Washington Post writes, "Her supporters believed she brought a heightened level of integrity and professionalism to the attorney general’s office. They admired her insistence on legal exactitude from her employees and praised her caution in prosecutions."
She was known for overseeing the raid of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, her review of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, the Elian Gonzales controversy and many other contentious issues that occurred over her tenure, the entirety of Bill Clinton's presidency.
Once the top prosecutor in Miami-Dade County, Reno is among the longest-serving attorneys general ever to hold the position.
To many, she was the epitome of a Washington outsider when Clinton nominated her for the job.
After leaving office, she ran in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Florida, but lost to Bill McBride.
She was 78 years old.
