Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., first elected to the Senate in 1992, died on Thursday night, The New York Times confirms. Her staff was informed Friday at 9 a.m. EDT.
She was the oldest member of the U.S. Senate, the longest-serving female senator and the longest-serving senator from California. She announced in February that she would not be running for reelection.
Before her election to the Senate, she was the first female mayor of San Francisco. She became the mayor after the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and city Supervisor Harvey Milk, who was the first gay elected official in California.
Her legislative accomplishments, reports ABC, include:
- Creating federal coordination of Amber Alerts, the national child abduction warning system.
- Passing the California Desert Protection Act, which protected millions of acres of California desert and created the Death Valley and Joshua Tree national parks.
- Reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, to protect women from domestic violence and sexual assault.
- Authoring the 2022 Respect for Marriage Act, to enshrine marriage equality into federal law.
- Authoring the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban.
In recent years, she has suffered from declining health and memory issues that prompted calls for her resignation, which she rejected, reports The New York Times.
President Joe Biden released a statement calling Sen. Feinstein “a pioneering American” who “made her mark on everything from national security to the environment to protecting civil liberties.” The president also said that as he and first lady Jill Biden “mourn with her daughter Katherine and the Feinstein family, her team in the Senate, and the people of California, we take comfort that Dianne is reunited again with her beloved Richard.”
Utah Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney have posted messages of condolence on X. Lee writes that “Dianne Feinstein was a Senate institution — one who devoted her entire professional career to serving the people of California and our country. Her storied career was matched by her kindness, even for those with whom she often disagreed.”
Romney called Feinstein a trailblazer and “giant of the Senate” who dedicated her life to public service.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.