Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a Republican appointee who resigned in 2009 after routinely siding with the court’s liberal side, died on Friday, the court confirmed. He was 85 years old.

Souter, a low-key New Englander who avoided the national spotlight, was dubbed the “stealth nominee” when President George H.W. Bush nominated him in 1990 to succeed liberal icon William Brennan. Advisers persuaded the president that Souter would pull the court to the right, a misinterpretation that still resonates today.

The Supreme Court stated that Souter died on Thursday.

“Justice David Souter served our court with great distinction for nearly twenty years,” Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement. “He brought uncommon wisdom and kindness to a lifetime of public service.”

Those who knew Souter said his approach to the law was measured, intellectual, and consistent with the concept of judicial restraint.

“The whole point of it was that it was a Constitution and a Bill of Rights for the indefinite future,” Souter said during a 2012 event. “The application of these values, the problem of trying to make them work in practice, was an assignment that was left to the future.”