Veteran Congress leader of Kanyakumari district N. Dennis (83) died after prolonged illness at his residence in Marthandam on Friday.
Dennis represented Nagercoil, a seat held by K. Kamaraj for a brief period, and A. Nesamony, ‘father of Kanyakumari district,’ who spearheaded the movement against social ills prevailing in the erstwhile Travancore State, from 1971 to 1998.
He won the first four elections on a Congress ticket and the later ones as a Tamil Manila Congress nominee.
He studied at St. John’s College in Palayamkottai and completed M.A. at University College in West Bengal. He pursued law at Ernakulam Law College and Thiruvananthapuram Law College (Kerala).
Dennis married ‘Marshal’ Nesamony’s eldest daughter, N. Mercy. When she died, he married W. Gladys. Dennis is survived by his wife, son and two daughters.
As a Congress member, he participated in the freedom movement.
After Independence, he worked for communal harmony and creation of infrastructure in Kanyakumari district.
Union Minister for Shipping G. K. Vasan, in a condolence message, described Dennis as a person who was involved in the development of Kanyakumari and growth of the Congress as MLA and MP.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president B. S. Gnanadesikan said Dennis dedicated himself to the Congress movement at a very early age and was elected to the Assembly from Killiyoor at the age of 37.
The body would be laid to rest in his ancestral village of Keezukulam on Saturday.
