Jesse Helms, the former U.S. Republican senator from North Carolina, whose categorical conservatism made him appear like one of America’s foremost crusaders against communism, liberalism, abortion, homosexuality, fee increases and other controversial issues, died on Friday at the age of 86.

According to John Dodd, president of the Jesse Helms Center in Wingate, N.C., Jesse Helms died at the Mayview Convalescent Center in Raleigh, N.C. The precise cause of death was not stated, but 2 years ago his family announced that the ex-senator suffered of vascular dementia. Throughout his last years in the Senate, Helms had heart disabilities, prostate cancer and Paget's disease and made use of a power-driven scooter in order to shift through the halls of the Capitol.

Jesse Helms was a wise and influential politician who won election to the Senate five times before retiring in 2003. Occasionally named the protector of the new right, he conducted a national following and contributed to the positioning of the nation's conservative social program. He was an outstanding political coordinator and fundraiser whose early support for Ronald Reagan helped acquire a Republican dominance that has lasted more than 25 years.

Jesse Helms's resistance to social transformation gave his nickname of “Senator No,” a label he came to appreciate. He blocked nominations for federal office, refused to give funding for the United Nations, opposed gun restraint and actually threatened to revoke federal payments for art groups and school busing. An unfaltering opponent of communism, he fought for isolating Cuban leader Fidel Castro and refused to change his mind concerning strict U.S. trade embargoes of Cuba.