HARRISBURG ­ Sadness over the corruption conviction of former Sen. Vincent Fumo swept through the state Capitol today as the stunning, 137-count verdict left lawmakers considering the impact on their institution.

In Harrisburg, where he served for 30 years, Fumo cut a large figure. The Democrat had established himself as a key negotiator and major fundraiser who put his imprint on nearly every major law in Pennsylvania over the past two decades.

Aside from that, he was wealthy, brash and a formidable opponent in floor debates.

That made his fall even harder to fathom.

"I never expected his career would wind up the way it happened," said a longtime Democratic colleague, Sen. Raphael Musto of Luzerne County.

Sen. Don White, R-Indiana, was quick to praise Fumo as a passionate, dynamic leader ­ but could not seem to grasp how Fumo had come to be charged and convicted so resoundingly.

"How a man of his means ever got into the situation he did, I'll never know," White said. "I guess things just got away from him."

The jury found Fumo guilty of all 137 counts related to federal charges that he had defrauded the state Senate, a nonprofit and a museum of more than $3.5 million, and destroyed e-mail evidence.

It was difficult to find anyone to say they were surprised by the guilty verdict, considering the detailed indictment or the countless newspaper articles published since federal prosecutors charged Fumo in February 2007. But it made an impression on lawmakers that the jury convicted Fumo of all 137 counts.