(Reuters) - Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, a pediatric surgeon known for his anti-smoking campaigns and efforts to improve diet and nutrition, died at his home in Hanover, New Hampshire on Monday. He was 96 years old.
Koop served as Surgeon General from November 1981 until October 1989, taking stern and sometimes controversial stands on abortion, AIDS, fatty foods, drugs and cigarettes.
His death was announced by Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine, where he founded the C. Everett Koop Institute.
(Reporting by Paul Thomasch; editing by Christopher Wilson)
