Former U.S. Rep. Joe D. Waggonner, who represented northwestern Louisiana for nine terms from 1961 to 1979, died Sunday. He was 89.

Waggonner had been in a Shreveport hospital for several weeks with heart problems, said Rene Gibson, Waggoner's secretary, who confirmed his death.

Waggonner was elected as a Democrat in 1961 and eventually served as a key leader of Southern conservative Democrats. He also served on the House committee administering the space program and the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.

In his district, Waggonner was credited with helping to secure Interstate 49 between Lafayette and Shreveport and funding for Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City and Fort Polk in Leesville, along with developing the Red River for navigation.

He decided not to seek re-election in 1978. After retiring from Congress, he was appointed in 1981 by President Reagan to the National Commission on Social Security Reform.

A graduate of Louisiana Tech University, Waggonner attained the rank of lieutenant commander in the Navy during World War II and also served during the Korean War. Before his election to Congress, Waggonner operated a wholesale petroleum products business and served terms on the Bossier Parish School Board and the Louisiana State Board of Education.