( CNN ) -- Former U.S . Surgeon General C. Everett Koop , a pediatric surgeon turned public health advocate , died Monday . He was 96 . Koop served as surgeon general from 1982 to 1989 , under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W . Bush . He was outspoken on controversial public health issues and did much to raise the profile the office of the surgeon general . He died peacefully at his home in Hanover , New Hampshire , Dartmouth College said in a news release announcing his death . `` Dr. Koop did more than take care of his individual patients -- he taught all of us about critical health issues that affect our larger society , '' said Dartmouth President Carol L. Folt . `` Through that knowledge , he empowered each of us to improve our own well-being and quality of life . Dr. Koop 's commitment to education allowed him to do something most physicians can only dream of : improving the health of millions of people worldwide . '' Koop , called `` Chick '' by his friends , was perhaps best known for his work around HIV/AIDS . He wrote a brochure about the disease that was sent to 107 million households in the United States in 1988 . It was the largest public health mailing ever , according to a biography of Koop on a website of the surgeon general . He was also well-known for his work around tobacco , calling for a `` smoke-free '' society . His 1986 surgeon general 's report on the dangers of secondhand smoke was seminal . `` That was the shot heard around the world , and it began to change public policy everywhere , '' said John Seffrin , chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society . The report started the move toward prohibiting smoking on airplanes , restaurants and at workplaces . `` The legacy of C. Everett Koop is how a wonderful , famous pediatric surgeon , who 'd already made a name for himself , was willing at a relatively advanced age to do public service and show bold leadership that would have dramatic impact and change the world , '' Seffrin said . Prior to his tenure as surgeon general , Koop was surgeon-in-chief for more than 30 years at The Children 's Hospital of Philadelphia . `` A pioneer in the field of pediatric surgery , Dr. Koop 's contributions include advances in complex surgical procedures , such as the separation of conjoined twins , establishment of the nation 's first newborn surgical intensive care unit and the implementation of Children 's Hospital 's surgical fellowship training program , '' the hospital said in a statement . `` The Children 's Hospital of Philadelphia will be forever indebted to Dr. Koop for the imprint he left upon the institution and upon all of pediatric health care . '' Koop was born in Brooklyn , New York , and attended Dartmouth , Weill Cornell Medical College and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania . He was the author of more than 200 articles and books , and the recipient of various awards . In 1991 , Koop won an Emmy for a five-part series on health care reform , Dartmouth said . He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995 . Known for wearing bow ties , suspenders and having a clipped beard , Koop is survived by his wife , three children and eight grandchildren . His first wife , to whom he was married for nearly 70 years , died in 2007 . `` Dr. Koop was not only a pioneering pediatric surgeon but also one of the most courageous and passionate public health advocates of the past century , '' said Wiley W. Souba , dean of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth . `` He did not back down from deeply rooted health challenges or powerful interests that stood in the way of needed change . Instead , he fought , he educated and he transformed lives for the better . '' People we lost in 2013 : The lives they lived .
He is best known for his work on HIV / AIDS and tobacco . Koop served as surgeon general in the 1980s under three presidents . He was surgeon - in - chief at Children 's Hospital of Philadelphia . Koop is survived by his wife , three children and eight grandchildren .