WASHINGTON — Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, the independent-minded jurist whose bright bow ties and courteous manner symbolized an old-fashioned style of integrity, died Tuesday. He was 99.

Although he joined the court as a centrist Republican, he emerged in his later years as the leading voice of its liberal bloc.

Stevens retired in 2010 after more than 34 years on the bench, the third longest tenure in the court’s history.

He was the last veteran of World War II to serve on the court. And he joined the court in 1975 when only men served as justices. He was replaced by Justice Elena Kagan, who became the third woman on the nine-member court.