Former Smithtown Supervisor Patrick Vecchio has died at age 88.

He was the longest-serving town supervisor in New York state history, presiding over Smithtown for 40 years.

Vecchio last ran a town board meeting in December of 2017, after losing his bid for re-election that fall. Vecchio lost the Republican primary in 2017 to the current town Supervisor Ed Werheim, capping his 40-year career as a public servant.

MORE: Long Island Politics

Those who knew Vecchio say he leaves behind a legacy of being fiscally responsible and putting Smithtown taxpayers first.

Before he spent four decades in public service, Vecchio was an NYPD detective providing security for dignitaries. In 1960, he walked alongside a car carrying then-Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie Kennedy.

News 12 is told that Vecchio died Saturday night. The cause of death is not known at this time.

Services for Vecchio will be held at Clayton Funeral Home in Kings Park on Wednesday, and he will be interred at Calverton National Cemetery.