Dianne Feinstein

Dianne Feinstein
Official portrait, 2004
United States Senator
from California
In office
November 4, 1992 – September 29, 2023
Preceded byJohn Seymour
Succeeded byLaphonza Butler
Committees
Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee
In office
January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2015
Preceded byJay Rockefeller
Succeeded byRichard Burr
Chair of the Senate Narcotics Caucus
In office
January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2015
Preceded byJoe Biden
Succeeded byChuck Grassley
Chair of the Senate Rules Committee
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009
Preceded byTrent Lott
Succeeded byChuck Schumer
38th Mayor of San Francisco
In office
November 27, 1978 – January 8, 1988[a]
Preceded byGeorge Moscone
Succeeded byArt Agnos
President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
In office
January 9, 1978 – December 4, 1978
Preceded byQuentin L. Kopp
Succeeded byJohn Molinari
In office
January 8, 1974 – January 8, 1975
Preceded byRon Pelosi[1]
Succeeded byQuentin L. Kopp
In office
January 8, 1970 – January 8, 1971
Preceded byJohn A. Ertola[2]
Succeeded byRon Pelosi[1]
Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
In office
January 8, 1970 – December 4, 1978
Preceded byWilliam Blake
Succeeded byLouise Renne
Constituency
  • At-large district (1970–1978)
  • 2nd district (1978)
Personal details
Born
Dianne Emiel Goldman

(1933-06-22)June 22, 1933
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedSeptember 29, 2023(2023-09-29) (aged 90)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting placeColma, California
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Jack Berman
    (m. 1956; div. 1959)
  • Bertram Feinstein
    (m. 1962; died 1978)
  • (m. 1980; died 2022)
ChildrenKatherine
Parent
EducationStanford University (BA)
Signature

Dianne Emiel Feinstein[b] (née Goldman; June 22, 1933 – September 29, 2023) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from California from 1992 until her death in 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988.[3]

A San Francisco native, Feinstein graduated from Stanford University in 1955. She was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969 and immediately became the board's first female president upon her appointment in 1970. In 1978, during a third stint as the board's president, the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk drew national attention. Feinstein succeeded Moscone as mayor and became the first woman to serve in that position. During her tenure, she led the renovation of the city's cable car system and oversaw the 1984 Democratic National Convention. Despite a recall attempt in 1983, Feinstein was a popular mayor and was named the most effective mayor in the country by City & State in 1987.[4][5][6]

After losing a race for governor in 1990, Feinstein was elected to the U.S. Senate in a 1992 special election.[7] In November 1992, she became California's first female U.S. senator; shortly afterward, she became the state's senior senator when Alan Cranston retired in January 1993. Feinstein was reelected five times. In the 2012 election, she received 7.86 million votes,[8] the most popular votes received by any U.S. Senate candidate in history.[9]

As a senator, Feinstein authored the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, was the first woman to chair the Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee, and was the first woman to preside over a U.S. presidential inauguration. She chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee from 2009 to 2015[10] and was the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2017 to 2021.[11]

Feinstein's final years in office were marred by concerns about her health and mental competency.[12][13][14][15] In February 2023, Feinstein announced she would not seek reelection in 2024.[16] She died in office in September 2023, at the age of 90.[17][18][19][20] By the time of her death, Feinstein was the oldest sitting U.S. senator and member of Congress. She was also the longest-serving U.S. senator from California and the longest-tenured female senator in history.[21][22]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ a b "Inauguration Photos". San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  2. ^ "Speech by Nancy Pelosi Honoring John A. Ertola of California". GovInfo. May 24, 2000. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  3. ^ "Fe". Real Names of Famous Folk. Archived from the original on April 5, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2007.
  4. ^ "Clipped From The Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. March 13, 1990. p. 120. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  5. ^ "Clipped From The Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. October 24, 1986. p. 32. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  6. ^ Macdonald, Katharine (April 27, 1983). "Mayor Feinstein Easily Defeats Recall Attempt". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  7. ^ Finnegan, Michael (August 17, 2018). "De León captures California's anti-Trump furor, but struggles to gain traction in run to oust Feinstein". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  8. ^ "2012 U.S. Senate Election Results – California" (PDF). Elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  9. ^ Romano, Andrew (February 28, 2018). "Kevin de León takes on Dianne Feinstein from the left". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on November 23, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference tran was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "1992: Dianne Feinstein elected California Senator in the "Year of the Woman"". History.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  12. ^ Mayer, Jane (December 9, 2020). "Dianne Feinstein's Missteps Raise a Painful Age Question Among Senate Democrats". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  13. ^ Kampeas, Ron (December 19, 2020). "Dianne Feinstein says she isn't leaving the Senate anytime soon". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  14. ^ Garcia, Eric (April 14, 2022). "Multiple senators say Dianne Feinstein declining mentally and unfit to serve, report claims". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  15. ^ Fortinsky, Sarah (May 28, 2023). "Feinstein expressed confusion over Kamala Harris presiding over Senate: report". The Hill. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  16. ^ White, Jeremy B.; Levine, Marianne (February 14, 2023). "Feinstein passes on Senate reelection in 2024". Politico. Archived from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  17. ^ Karni, Annie (September 29, 2023). "Senator Dianne Feinstein Dies at 90". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  18. ^ "U.S. Senate: Senators Who Have Died in Office". senate.gov. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  19. ^ Bierman, Noah; McManus, Doyle (September 29, 2023). "Dianne Feinstein's final day in the Senate". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference Early morning was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Stein, Shira (November 16, 2022). "Why the third in line to presidency post won't go to Sen. Dianne Feinstein". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  22. ^ Haberkorn, Jennifer (March 28, 2021). "Dianne Feinstein becomes California's longest-serving US senator". San Francisco Examiner. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.