U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker remembered former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher today as a strong-willed and principled conservative who was a friend to the United States.

“I visited her a number of times while she was prime minister and afterward,” said Alexander, a Maryville Republican. “She was conservative, principled and charismatic. She also knew how to turn her principles into results that strengthened Great Britain. She was the British version of Ronald Reagan, or perhaps he was the American version of her.”

Corker, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Thatcher “will rightly be remembered as a plain-spoken and aggressive advocate for democracy and free markets and for her strong leadership in the fight against communism, which helped preserve and strengthen Western values and institutions for generations to come.”

“Her courage, clear thinking and lifelong friendship with the United States continue to inspire us all,” Corker said.

Thatcher died earlier today in London after suffering a stroke. She was 87.