Parliamentarians praised former Senate President Alf Oughton in the House of Assembly.The Progressive Labour Party also paid tribute to Mr Oughton, who died last week at the age of 83.Leading the praises in Parliament was the One Bermuda Alliance’s Bob Richards who described Mr Oughton as “firm, fair and knowledgeable” in his role as Senate President.OBA MP Patricia Gordon-Pamplin recalled the way he admonished her when she made a controversial statement in the Senate.“The then president looked at me over the top of his glasses and, without uttering one word, I knew I had been duly admonished for the comment I had made,” Ms Gordon-Pamplin said.“My growth politically can be attributed to the quiet gentleman under whose guidance I had the privilege of serving for ever so brief a period of time.”Louise Jackson reminded the House of Mr Oughton’s work on reviewing the health system and authoring the report that carries his name, his 50-year marriage and his long tenure at Belco.Ruling party backbencher Walter Roban described Mr Oughton as an ”extremely supportive and able president, and arbiter of the activities of the Senate at the time”.“He always gave me good advice and on a rare occasion a stern look of admonishment but it didn’t happen that much,” he said.Backbencher Neletha Butterfield said she had some fond memories of Mr Oughton when she first served in the Upper Chamber in 1993.Economy Minister Patrice Minors said that from her time in the Senate from 1998 to 2003 she remembered Mr Oughton as a man of “great calm” who “came across in a firm manner”.Kim Swan, who was elected as a United Bermuda Party MP, said that his nine years as a Senator were served while Mr Oughton was president.He noted that Mr Oughton’s period as president transcended the transition between the UBP and the PLP Governments.“He could appreciate and respect the policies of the new Government and the pains of the old Government,” Mr Swan said.“That’s the type of maturity we need in greater abundance in this Country as we still have a long way to go.”He described Mr Oughton as a legislator who “knew how to control the Senate with the likes of myself and the Colonel [David Burch] on the other side”.Government Estates Minister Michael Scott agreed with many who spoke of Mr Oughton’s distinguished service at Belco and in the Senate.House Speaker Stanley Lowe summarised Mr Oughton’s life as: “He came, he saw, he conquered.”Tributes to Mr Oughton were also made outside the Lower House.Bermuda Employers’ Council president, Keith Jensen said: “Alf Oughton was a former president of the Bermuda Employers’ Council and served for many years on the board of governors.“It was not smooth sailing for the economy and labour relations in 1982 to 1984 when he was president of the BEC.“He was an advocate for fairness in labour relations matters and believed in effective consultations among the tripartite partners government, labour and employers and demonstrated, always in a forthright manner, how to resolve issues and advance the welfare of the Island. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family during this difficult time.”The Progressive Labour Party said Mr Oughton was known during his tenure at Belco as a man who was “dedicated to the Bermuda community and to his family, as well as by his high standards, hard work and ability to run a tight ship”.His tenure in the Senate distinguished him as an “honest broker” who was “politically neutral”, a statement said.The party also noted that Mr Oughton was a recipient of the Bermuda Health Foundation’s Salute to Service Award “for his stellar work in the community, in particular for the thorough Healthcare Review Report that he produced in May 1996”.