Rep. dikk Hinch, a Republican who was elected speaker of the New Hampshire House just one week ago, died of COVID-19 on Wednesday. This comes about a month before the state legislature, the largest in the U.S., is expected to convene for its regularly scheduled annual session.
The state's attorney general, Gordon MacDonald, announced the cause of death Thursday afternoon with the consent of Hinch's family, following an autopsy by New Hampshire Chief Medical Examiner Jennie Duval.
Hinch, who was 71 and from Merrimack, was poised to lead his party in the state's House of Representatives. New Hampshire Republicans gained control of both the House and the state Senate from Democrats in elections last month.
Hinch was formally elected House speaker on Dec. 2 at an
outdoor session held on an athletic field at the University of New Hampshire because of coronavirus concerns. Earlier that same week, several Republican House members were confirmed to have tested positive for the coronavirus after attending an indoor GOP caucus meeting.
Since then, a member of Gov. Chris Sununu's staff and an employee in the House speaker's office have also tested positive, according to announcements from each office. At the time the legislative staffer's diagnosis was announced, the House speaker's office said: "no legislators were identified as close contacts."
"All staff identified as possible close contacts have been notified and asked to quarantine out of an abundance of caution," the office said in a statement at the time.
After state officials confirmed that COVID-19 caused Hinch's death, acting Speaker Sherman Packard and Senate President Chuck Morse said they plan to consult with state health officials and other authorities about "any additional, specific steps we should take, beyond our on-going COVID-19 protocols and contact tracing, to ensure the continued protection of our legislators and staff."
