ANCHORAGE, Alaska » To much of the nation, Ted Stevens was the crotchety senator who famously referred to the Internet as "a series of tubes" and fought to build the "Bridge to Nowhere."

But to his constituents in Alaska he was "Uncle Ted," the state’s political patriarch who for four decades reliably delivered billions in federal dollars for the highways, pipelines and ports that helped move his sparsely populated state into the future.

The wiry octogenarian was built like a birch sapling, but he liked to encourage comparisons with the Incredible Hulk — an analogy that seemed appropriate for his outsize place in Alaska history.

"Though small of stature, Ted Stevens seemed larger than life, and anybody who knew him knew him that way, for he built Alaska and he stood for Alaska and he fought for Alaskans," said Gov. Sean Parnell. "Ted was a lion who retreated before nothing."

Stevens was killed Monday at 86 in a plane crash in a remote part of the state while on his way to a fishing trip. More than 30 years ago he survived the crash of a private jet at Anchorage International Airport that killed his first wife, Ann.

Four others also died in the crash Monday outside Dillingham, about 325 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Alaskans loved him, even when the pork-barrel proposals he spearheaded became notorious.

"Ted always said, ‘To hell with politics. Do what is best for Alaska.’ He never apologized for fighting for his state, and Alaska is better for it today." said Sen. Mary Landrieu, a Louisiana Democrat.

Stevens began his career in the days before Alaska statehood and did not abandon politics until 2008, when he was convicted on corruption charges shortly before Election Day. But a federal judge threw out the verdict because of misconduct by federal prosecutors.

He was appointed in December 1968 and became the longest-serving Republican in Senate history. (The late Strom Thurmond was in the Senate longer than Stevens, but he spent a decade there as a Democrat before switching to the GOP.)

Stevens was a legend in his home state, but his standing was hurt by allegations he accepted a bonanza of home renovations and fancy trimmings from VECO Corp., a powerful oil field services contractor, and then lied about it on congressional disclosure documents.

Indicted on federal charges in July 2008, he asked for an unusually speedy trial, hoping to clear his name before Election Day. Instead, he was convicted in late October of all seven counts — and narrowly lost his Senate seat to Democrat Mark Begich in the election.

Five months after the election, Attorney General Eric Holder dropped the indictment and declined to proceed with a new trial because of misconduct by federal prosecutors. Stevens never discussed the events publicly.

When his party held a majority, Stevens was chairman of several Senate committees, including the powerful Rules and Appropriations panels. For three years he was majority whip. When the Democrats took back control of the Senate in January 2007, he lost his chairmanships but remained ranking Republican member of the powerful Commerce Committee.

His skill in appropriating military and other federal money for Alaska earned him the reputation among many in Washington as a pork-barrel politician.

"In the history of our country, no one man has done more for one state than Ted Stevens. His commitment to the people of Alaska and his nation spanned decades, and he left a lasting mark on both," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky.

He was named Alaskan of the Century in 1999 for having the greatest impact on the state in 100 years — he brought in "Stevens money" that helped keep the remote state solvent. The Anchorage airport is named in his honor.