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One of the most memorable and iconic figures in North Carolina history -- for better and for worse -- is gone.

Following years of declining health, former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, a pillar of the Republicans' rise in the South and a force in Washington for decades, died Friday morning, on Independence Day, at age 86.

He was a potent voice for conservatism who became unbeatable over the years, staving off serious challenges for his seat from former Gov. Jim Hunt and former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt en route to 30 consecutive years in the Senate.

He also was a consummate battler, a scorched-earth campaigner whose words and views could be caustic and divisive.

From his early days as a broadcast editorialist on WRAL (Channel 5) in Raleigh, he was a champion of segregation, a view for which he never expressed remorse.

During two campaigns against Gantt, an African American, in 1990 and 1996, he was far from subtle in his use of racial fears as a tactic. During the 1990 race, a famous Helms commercial showed a white fist crumpling a job application. "You needed that job," the words flashed on the screen, " ... but they had to give it to a minority."

When Helms said no, he meant it. He disdained liberalism and arms-control treaties and viewed foreign policy with a hard edge and an unwavering contempt for communism.

At the same time, he was a Southern gentleman who was known for his personal grace and charm. His office had a reputation for being responsive to constituents and he kept close tabs on the home front. When this newspaper ran letters to the editor with which he took issue, it wasn't unusual for Helms' office to call.

Yet Helms was willing to rethink some of his views, especially as he grew older. He was a relentless critic of the United Nations, which he viewed as useless and irrelevant. But he later agreed to measures to repay delinquent debt to the U.N. Helms also changed his views toward AIDS, teaming with, of all people, rock star Bono to support greater U.S. funding to battle the epidemic in Africa.

When Helms chose to not to seek re-election in 2002, the outpouring of warm sentiment bothered some critics, who believed those tributes glossed over Helms' less-admirable qualities, especially his unenlightened views on race. "The reporting on his retirement was circumspect to the point of pussyfooting," fumed Washington Post columnist David Broder.

That said, Helms battled with Democrats and some Republicans alike, and even some of his staunchest critics grudgingly admired his blistering candor.

There was a brand of honesty in Helms' politics that's especially hard to find today. But shooting straight doesn't count for a lot if you're aiming at the wrong target. So, even though we always knew where Jesse stood, too often it was in the wrong places.