Thomas D’Alesandro III, brother to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has died

The former mayor of Baltimore died Sunday due to stroke complications.

October 20, 2019, 4:48 PM

Thomas D'Alesandro III, the brother of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has died at the age of 90.

"My husband Paul and our entire family are devastated by the loss of our patriarch, my beloved brother, Thomas D'Alesandro III," Pelosi wrote in a statement.

The former mayor of Baltimore died Sunday due to stroke complications, according to The Baltimore Sun.

PHOTO: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., left, laughs as her brother Thomas D' Alesandro III, right, makes a joke as he introduces her husband Paul, during a street renaming ceremony in her behalf, in Baltimore, Jan. 5, 2007.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., left, laughs as her brother Thomas D' Alesandro III, right, makes a joke as he introduces her husband Paul, during a street renaming ceremony in her behalf, in Baltimore, Jan. 5, 2007.
Chris Gardner/AP, FILE

"Tommy was the finest public servant I have ever known," Pelosi wrote in her statement. "His life and leadership were a tribute to the Catholic values with which we were raised: faith, family, patriotism. He profoundly believed, as did our parents, that public service was a noble calling and that we all had a responsibility to help others."

D'Alesandro served as the mayor of Baltimore from 1967 to 1971 and Pelosi described him as a "champion of civil rights" and he "worked tirelessly for all who called Baltimore home."

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement, "Baltimore lost another devoted public servant today in Thomas "Young Tommy" D'Alesandro III. As the city's 42nd mayor from 1967 to 1971, he will long be remembered for his leadership in divisive times, and for his efforts to root out disctimination and rebuild the city he loved."

He is survived by his wife Margaret, his five children and grandchildren who "are praying for him at this sad time," according to Pelosi's news release.

PHOTO:Former Baltimore Mayor Tommy D'Alesandro III speaks at the 2010 Columbus Commemoration to keep the new tradition of a smaller parade through Little Italy going for future generations in Baltimore, Md.
Former Baltimore Mayor Tommy D'Alesandro III speaks at the 2010 Columbus Commemoration to keep the new tradition of a smaller parade through Little Italy going for future generations in Baltimore, Md.
Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP, FILE

D'Alesandro's death also comes as the city of Baltimore was already mourning the death of long-time U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings. The 68-year-old died on Thursday.

Cummings will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday ahead of a funeral service in Baltimore on Friday.

Funeral arrangements for D'Alesandro were not immediately available.