SAN FRANCISCO – Former California Rep. Fortney “Pete” Stark, a longtime public official who played an instrumental role in transforming America’s health care system, died Friday at age 88.

During his 40-year career in Washington, the former Bay Area congressman helped craft the Affordable Care Act — also known as Obamacare — and the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 — commonly known as COBRA — which gives employees the opportunity to stay on their employer’s healthcare plan even after they leave a job as long as they pay the premium.

“Today, America has lost a champion of the people and a leader of great integrity, moral courage and compassion,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement Friday. “Congressman Pete Stark was a master legislator who used his gavel to give a voice to the voiceless, and he will be deeply missed by Congress, Californians and all Americans.”

Stark, a Wisconsin native, served in the U.S. Air Force, earned an engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in business administration from UC Berkeley. In the mid-’60s, he founded his own bank, Security National Bank, in Walnut Creek. During the Vietnam war, Stark made a name for himself by putting a neon peace sign on top of the bank and peace symbol motifs on the bank’s checks.

Stark was first elected into office in 1972 and went on to spend 40 years in Congress, representing much of southern Alameda County through several redistrictings and reapportionments. He served as the longtime leader of the Ways and Means Committee.

Former Rep. George Miller, who worked closely with Stark for many years, described the recently deceased congressman as a “bold and outspoken” man who was passionate about fighting for what he believed and bringing people together to brainstorm new ideas.

“Pete was a very tough guy when it came to trying to get an equal shake for low-income people and middle-class families and people who found themselves in need of a program that they could afford,” Miller said in an interview. “And obviously the proof was in the pudding and millions of people were able to sing up for health care after Obamacare was passed.”

Throughout his long political career, Stark won nearly all of his re-election races by large margins. But in 2012, after redistricting, Stark lost his seat to Democratic upstart Eric Swalwell following a campaign marked by gaffes, including accusations that Swalwell had accepted bribes from Dublin-area developers.

Similar to how Stark challenged an elderly incumbent opponent in 1972, Swalwell zeroed in on Stark’s age and characterized him as being out of touch with his constituents.

“I went to Washington by running against an unpopular war and for women’s rights, opportunity for children and dignity for seniors,” Stark said in a statement following the loss. “I leave knowing that the landscape has changed, but the needs of my constituents remain.”

Swalwell lauded Stark’s career in a Twitter post Friday: “Pete Stark gave the East Bay decades of public service as a voice in Congress for working people. His knowledge of policy, particularly health care, & his opposition to unnecessary wars demonstrated his deep care and spirit. Our community mourns his loss.”

In her statement, Pelosi said Stark dedicated his life to defending every American’s right to affordable health care.

“He made a difference in the lives of millions – from creating the COBRA initiative to help working Americans maintain their coverage during times of financial insecurity, authoring life-saving legislation ensuring that hospitals must treat all people seeking emergency treatment regardless of their coverage and protecting Medicare from partisan attacks,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi also lauded Stark for his work to advance the well-being of foster children, ban anti-LGBTQ discrimination in adoptions, enact paid family leave, strengthen access to quality education and protect clean air and water.

“He fully and fundamentally believed that government was about fighting for the people’s interest, not the special interests, and cherished his responsibility to lift up families in the Bay Area,” Pelosi said.

Stark is survived by his wife, Deborah; his children, Jeffrey, Beatrice, Thekla, Sarah, Fortney “Fish” Hannah and Andrew; his eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his first wife, Elinor Brumder Stark, and his second wife, Carolyn Wente.