Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the longest-serving female United States senator in the nation's history and a gender-barrier-breaking, political trailblazer, has died at the age of 90.
According to the lawmaker's office, she passed away in her Washington, D.C. home on Thursday after attending to a series of votes on Capitol Hill.
"There are few women who can be called senator, chairman, mayor, wife, mom and grandmother," chief of staff James Sauls wrote in a statement. "Senator Feinstein never backed away from a fight for what was just and right."
From the office of Senator Dianne Feinstein: pic.twitter.com/rvcAmVk8O0
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) September 29, 2023
Prior to her election to the U.S. Senate in 1992, the "Year of the Woman," Feinstein carried out a decades-long, historic political career in California at state and local levels. She served as the first female chair of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors before ascending to San Francisco's mayoralty, becoming the city's first female mayor in 1978 in the aftermath of Mayor George Moscone's and Supervisor Harvey Milk's assassinations.
The Democrat continued to break glass ceilings during her tenure as U.S. senator for California, being the first woman the state had sent to the upper chamber, the first woman to sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the first chairwoman of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, and the first female chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. She played a leading role in some of the most consequential works in Capitol Hill's recent history, according to CNN, including enacting a since-expired federal assault weapons ban in 1994 and the sprawling, five-year investigation into CIA interrogation tactics that yielded the 6,300-page CIA "torture report."
A centrist, Feinstein earned a reputation as a political bridge during her time in the Senate, reaching across the aisle to her Republican colleagues in legislative moves that, at times, garnered pushback and criticism from progressives. "I truly believe that there is a center in the political spectrum that is the best place to run something when you have a very diverse community. America is diverse; we are not all one people. We are many different colors, religions, backgrounds, education levels, all of it," she told CNN in 2017.
In her later years, Feinstein's health received scrutiny at the Capitol and became a subject of speculation as a second hospitalization in August followed an months-long absence from the Senate and the revelation that she had suffered multiple complications while recovering after her first hospitalization in February. Being the chamber's oldest member at the time of her death also sparked questions about her ability to lead. She confirmed in February that she would not seek re-election.
Colleagues of both parties remembered the California Democrat Friday.
"I'm deeply saddened by the passing of Dianne Feinstein," former U.S. Secretary of State and Sen. Hillary Clinton tweeted Friday morning. "She blazed trails for women in politics and found a life's calling in public service. I'll miss her greatly as a friend and colleague and send my condolences to all who loved her."
I'm deeply saddened by the passing of Dianne Feinstein. She blazed trails for women in politics and found a life's calling in public service. I'll miss her greatly as a friend and colleague and send my condolences to all who loved her.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 29, 2023
"Senator Feinstein was a true trailblazer in American politics who led on issues like gun violence prevention and LGBTQ rights," Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman wrote in a statement. "Gisele and I send our deepest condolences to her family, staff, and loved ones in this difficult time."
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., added his regards: "Senator Feinstein was a political pioneer with a historic career of public service. Intelligent, hard working & always treated everyone with courtesy & respect," he said. "May God grant her eternal rest."
Senator Feinstein was a political pioneer with a historic career of public service.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) September 29, 2023
Intelligent, hard working & always treated everyone with courtesy & respect.
May God grant her eternal rest.
