NEWS
Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California Dies At Age 90
Courtesy of wikipedia
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a fixture of California politics for more than 50 years, has died at the age of 90, per reports.
Feinstein, a Democrat, won elected office for the first time in 1969 with a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and become the board’s first female president.
She ran unsuccessfully for mayor twice and nearly gave up trying, until San Francisco Mayor George Moscone was assassinated by Supervisor Dan White in 1978, and the mayor’s job fell to her.
As the city’s first woman mayor, Feinstein won her first full term in 1979, and held that position until 1988.
In 1992, dubbed the “Year of the Woman,” she became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from California, alongside fellow Democrat Barbara Boxer. Feinstein served in that office ever since, rising to chair multiple committees, including the influential Senate Intelligence Committee.
As chair of Senate Intelligence, Feinstein led a years-long investigation into the CIA’s detention and interrogation program following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which eventually led to legislation against the use of torture.
Feinstein also spearheaded federal coordination for the Amber Alert warning system for abducted children, and was instrumental in passing President Bill Clinton’s assault weapons ban in 1994.
Feinstein was the oldest member of the Senate, the longest-serving female senator and the longest-serving senator from California. In recent years, she has faced calls for her resignation as her health has declined, and in February announced plans to retire after her current term.
When she announced her impending retirement, President Joe Biden, himself a former senator, called Feinstein “a strong voice for national security policies that keep us safe while honoring our values.”
TMX contributed to this article.
