Former Wisconsin congressman and defense secretary Melvin Laird has died at age 94, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Laird, a Marshfield native, was a decorated sailor in World War II, state senator, U.S. congressman and secretary of defense. He reached the pinnacle of his power as U.S. defense secretary for Richard Nixon in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Laird was also the driving force behind the Laird Center for Medical Research – a $35 million facility at the Marshfield Clinic.