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Former U.S. Rep. Lane Evans, a Democrat from western Illinois who became a prominent advocate for veterans causes during 24 years in Congress, died Nov. 5 at a nursing home in East Moline, Ill. He was 63.

Michael Malmstrom, a legal guardian and former staffer, confirmed his death to the Associated Press. Mr. Evans announced in 1998 that he had Parkinsons disease and declined to seek reelection in 2006.

A Marine veteran, Mr. Evans served in Okinawa during the Vietnam War and was a legal services lawyer before running for Congress, his first elective office, in 1982. The district, which includes the Quad Cities along the Mississippi River, was long held by Republicans. Mr. Evans won the seat after the eight-term incumbent, Tom Railsback, was defeated in the GOP primary.

Mr. Evans held the seat for 12 terms despite several competitive Republican challenges an achievement that was credited in part to his reliable constituent services. He was perhaps most outspoken on veterans issues; his brother had served in Vietnam during the Southeast Asian war.

Veterans are the most neglected constituency in the country, Mr. Evans once told the Chicago Tribune. Conservatives are all for them in the armed forces, but when theyre discharged, they forget them. Liberals sometimes have a cultural problem in dealing with them. Im sorry if it disappoints my friends, but I feel a real obligation, particularly since very few others are standing up for the veterans of my country.

He helped lead the Vietnam-era veterans caucus, became ranking Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee and successfully pushed for compensation for military personnel who said they had been harmed by exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange in Vietnam.

After the Persian Gulf War of the early 1990s, Mr. Evans pursued the investigation of the disorder known as Gulf War syndrome. He was credited with advocating for benefits for homeless veterans, research on trauma wounds, and job assistance for servicemen and women.

Following the 1992 election, he narrowly lost a challenge to G.V. Sonny Montgomery (D-Miss.) for the Veterans Affairs Committee chairmanship.

Mr. Evans also was a member of the Armed Services Committee, where he pushed for measures to end the use of land mines.

Lane Allen Evans was born in Rock Island, Ill., on Aug. 4, 1951. His mother was a nurse, and his father, he told The Washington Post, was a firefighter who never got promoted because he was a union organizer.

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Former U.S. Rep. Lane Evans, Illinois Democrat, dies at 63