NH House Speaker Dick Hinch dies

New Hampshire House Speaker Dick Hinch has died.

Hinch, a 71-year-old Republican from Merrimack, was elected speaker just a week ago and was poised to lead the newly Republican-led House of Representatives.

Hinch was starting his seventh term in the House.

His death was announced by his office, which did not give any details.

“We ask that Speaker Hinch’s family be given the highest level of privacy and respect as they deal with this unexpected tragedy,” read a statement from the Speaker’s Office.

Gov. Chris Sununu ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff and said he was “profoundly sad” to learn of Hinch's death.

Republican Sen. Chuck Morse, who was sworn in as Senate president last week as well, said he had been looking forward to serving with a colleague he considered a best friend. In a statement, Morse described Hinch’s death as “unexpected.”

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According to his State House biography, Hinch was born in Marblehead, Mass., and served in the U.S. Navy. In addition to serving in the Legislature, he operated a real estate office in Merrimack. He had also been a member of the town’s board of selectmen, and had previously served as House majority leader, from 2015 to 2018.

Hinch was formally elected House speaker last week, at an outdoor ceremony held on an athletic field at the University of New Hampshire due to coronavirus concerns. Earlier that same week, several Republican House members were confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19 after attending an indoor GOP caucus meeting.

In his speech to fellow lawmakers upon being named speaker, Hinch invoked a bipartisan tone.

“I ask each of you to not look at each other as Republicans and Democrats, but as friends and colleagues, working towards the same goal,” Hinch said. “Our methods to get there, and what we envision as a better New Hampshire, may be different, but at the end of the day please remember that we have a responsibility to respect each other and understand each other. That we are all here to make a positive difference in our communities and our state.”

Late Wednesday, a spokesman for the Speaker's office said they had recently learned of a House staff member testing positive for COVID-19.

"All staff identified as possible close contacts have been notified and asked to quarantine out of an abundance of caution," according to a statement from the Speaker's office. “No legislators were identified as close contacts.”

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