Former U.S. Senator James Jeffords of Vermont, who fled the Republican Party in 2001 and gave the Democrats control of the senate, died Monday at the age of 80.

Jeffods has had a declining health condition since retiring in 2005, when he announced he would not be seeking a fourth term because of his and his wife's health problems.

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When he retired, he said, "I have had an enormously satisfying career, one that I would not have traded for any other."

His wife, Liz, died in 2007 after a long battel with cancer.

History knows Jeffords as the warm, soft-spoken Vermont man who gave the Democrats control of the chamber for at least 18 months when he defected from the Republican Party in 2001 and decided to become Independent.

On May 24, 2001, Jeffords declared that he was leaving President George Bush's Republican party, saying that he had found himself not to be in line with the increasing conservativeness of his colleagues.

After declaring himself Independent, Democrats earned 51 votes, enabling them to halt much of Bush's conservative agenda including higher tax rates and a lot more judicial nominees for anti-abortion.

According to Jeffords, he did not even think twice about the decision to switch.

For him, he was happy working with people who have views and agenda the same as his, rather than working with people whose views are turned the other side.

Former Senator Jeffords was thought as one of the most liberal Republicans in the Congress during his time and has not come into good terms with the White House.

Even then-Senate Republican Trent Lott irately called his action "a coup of one."

But on the other hand, Democrat Patrick Leahy together with Bernie Sanders praised the strong will of Jeffords to switch political parties.

In a statement, President Barack Obama said Jeffords has always had that independent spirit which made Vermonters and all people across the United States of America admire and respect him.

TagsJames Jefford, Jim Jefford, senator