In pics: Former US Senate majority leader Harry Reid through the years

Harry Reid, former United States lawmaker and top Democrat in the Senate, died at age 82 on Tuesday after suffering from pancreatic cancer.

At age 28, Reid was elected to the Nevada Assembly and at age 30 became the youngest lieutenant governor in Nevada history as Governor Mike O’Callaghan’s running mate in 1970.

Reid, who was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1982, served in Congress longer than anyone else in Nevada history.

Over a 34-year career in Washington, Reid thrived on behind-the-scenes wrangling and kept the Senate controlled by his party through two presidents — Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama — a crippling recession and the Republican takeover of the House after the 2010 elections.