Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democratic icon and longest-serving female senator, dies at 90

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who made history as a champion for gun control and was California’s longest-serving U.S. senator, died at her home in Washington, her office announced Friday.

“Her passing is a great loss for so many, from those who loved and cared for her to the people of California that she dedicated her life to serving,” said James Sauls, the senator’s chief of staff, in a statement.

“She left a legacy that is undeniable and extraordinary. There is much to say about who she was and what she did, but for now, we are going to grieve the passing of our beloved boss, mentor and friend,” he said. No cause of death was given, though Feinstein had been ailing for some time.

The San Francisco Democrat was into thrust into the national spotlight in 1978, when she became the city’s mayor after incumbent George Moscone and Councilman Harvey Milk were assassinated.

Her resolute stewardship of the stunned city vaulted her into the national political conversation, and made her a serious contender for the 1984 vice presidential nomination.

Eight years later, Californians elected her to the U.S. Senate, where she would serve for 31 years, longer than Sen. Hiram Johnson, a Republican who held his seat from 1917 to 1945.

Feinstein broke many gender barriers: First woman to serve as a U.S. senator from California (Sen. Barbara Boxer was sworn in two months later), first woman to chair the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Senate Rules Committee, and first woman to be top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee.

She also became known as a fierce advocate for gun control legislation. Feinstein authored the 1994 assault weapons ban, and after it expired in 2004 continued to push for its revival.

Feinstein also got notice when she chaired the Intelligence Committee from 2009 to 2015. She guided a lengthy review of the Central Intelligence Agency’s controversial enhanced interrogation program, which resulted in findings that led to legislation barring the use of torture.

The final years of her career, when she struggled with failing health, were marked by controversy over her decision to remain in office. Her condition triggered a broader national discussion about age and power, and whether elected officials should be subject to age limits.

Early life

Dianne Goldman was born in San Francisco. She attended Stanford University, first as a premedical student and then majoring in political science and history. She graduated in 1955.

Feinstein married Jack Berman, a San Francisco judge, in 1956. Their daughter Katherine would become presiding judge of the San Francisco County Superior Court.

She divorced Berman in 1959 and married neurosurgeon Dr. Bertram Feinstein. He died in 1978, and two years later she married investor Richard Blum, who passed away in 2022.

Feinstein became active in prison issues early in her political career, serving on the California Women’s Board of Terms and Parole in the 1960s and chairing San Francisco’s Advisory Committee for Adult Detention later in the decade.

Her career as an elected official began when she won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969. She became the board’s chair, and succeeded Moscone as mayor in 1978 after he and Supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated at City Hall by former supervisor Dan White.

Feinstein easily defeated a 1983 recall bid and became a popular figure who served until 1988. She helped bring the 1984 Democratic National Convention to the city, and was seriously considered by presidential nominee Walter Mondale as his running mate. He instead chose New York Rep. Geraldine Ferraro.

A 1990 campaign ran for governor against then-Sen. Pete Wilson fell short by about 3 percentage points. Two years later, she ran for the Senate seat Wilson vacated, defeating Gray Davis, a Democrat who would win the governorship six years later.

Senate years

The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by then-Sen.Joe Biden of Delaware, was under withering criticism in 1991 for its handling of Clarence Thomas’ nomination to the Supreme Court. Law professor Anita Hill had accused Thomas of sexual harassment, making her case before a committee with all white men.

Feinstein joined the committee after her election in 1992 and had an immediate impact.

In January 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated Aetna Life & Casualty Co. General Counsel Zoe Baird as attorney general.Baird, who would have been the first woman to serve in the job, was criticized for hiring a nanny and chauffeur who were in the country illegally and for not paying their Social Security taxes.

Instead of a sharp grilling, Feinstein tried to draw out the human side of the story, asking Baird about her family and her feelings.

She urged Baird to stop talking in legalese. Explain why you did this, Feinstein urged.

Baird tried, explaining how difficult it was to start a new job at Aetna, where people whispered she was too young, while raising an 8-month-old son.

But Baird showed little emotion. Feinstein went on to another subject. She made no comment about Baird’s response, and the subtle message was that Feinstein was not sure about the Baird nomination.

Baird soon withdrew from consideration.

Feinstein would soon become well-known for her gun control advocacy. With a Democrat in the White House and the party controlling both chambers of Congress, President Bill Clinton in 1993 and 1994 was eager to pass strong gun control legislation.

The nation had been rocked by several incidents, including the massacre at Stockton’s Cleveland Elementary School in 1989 where a gunman killed five people and wounded 34.

Feinstein would author the assault weapons ban, which stayed in effect for 10 years. Efforts to revive it have been unsuccessful.

Intelligence Committee

Feinstein led the highly secret intelligence panel from 2009 to 2015, when serious questions were being raised about American interrogation techniques during the Iraq War and against suspected terrorists.

The committee’s report on the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation techniques” was a 6,700 page explanation — with 38,000 footnotes — of why the agency’s tactics were not useful.

Among its findings were that the CIA “provided extensive inaccurate information about the operation of the program and its effectiveness to policymakers and the public.” It called the program’s management “inadequate and deeply flawed.”

And it found the program was “far more brutal” than the CIA had told the public.

The report led the Senate to vote overwhelmingly to ban enhanced interrogation.

Politics

Feinstein’s liberalism had an establishment bent, which frustrated the progressive wing of the Democratic party.

When Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., mobilized party liberals and challenged President Jimmy Carter in 1980, Feinstein backed Carter. She initially supported Hillary Clinton for president in 2008 over Barack Obama, and once it became clear Obama would be the nominee, Feinstein hosted the two candidates in her Washington living room.

In 2020, Feinstein was an early Biden supporter, even though California Senate colleague Kamala Harris was considering a bid.

Feinstein explained at the time “I’m a big fan of Sen. Harris, and I work with her. But she’s brand-new here, so it takes a little bit of time to get to know somebody.” Harris became a senator in January 2017.

Since she first sought statewide office, Feinstein was seen as more moderate. Those were years when state voters were electing Wilson and, later, Republican Arnold Schwarzegger. She won re-election in 1994 with 46.7% in a multi-candidate field and got 55% in 2000.

Feinstein has long been considered a consistently loyal Democrat, though, and in 2021, Americans for Democratic Action, which rates loyalty to liberal causes, gave her a 100% rating.

Still, critics in recent years have wanted more aggressive action on some of their favorite initiatives, such as single-payer health insurance.

In 2018, the state Democratic Party denied Feinstein its endorsement, giving a majority of its votes to then-state Sen. Kevin de Leon, known in the state legislature for his aggressive championing of climate change, helping undocumented immigrants, and more.

“California Democrats are hungry for new leadership that will fight for California values from the front lines, not equivocate on the sidelines,” de Leon said at the time.

Feinstein defeated de Leon in the general election with 54%.

Last Senate years

In recent years, Feinstein’s ability to do her job under was under increasing scrutiny.

The Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett in late 2020 was highly contentious and partisan. Democrats assailed Republicans for jamming her nomination through the Senate before the election. Yet Feinstein called the sessions “one of the best set of hearings that I’ve participated in.” She thanked Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and gave him a hug.

Many Democrats were outraged at Feinstein’s behavior and questioned whether she was qualified to continue as the committee’s top Democrat. She would have chaired the committee the following year, but stepped aside.

The drama was less intense in 2022 when Feinstein became next in line to become Senate president pro tempore. The largest ceremonial position traditionally goes to the longest-serving majority party senator. But it’s got one crucial feature that appeared to be problematic: The job makes the senator third in the line of presidential succession.

Feinstein said she was not interested, and it went to Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington.

Feinstein made a final return to the Senate on May 10, after being absent for three months recovering from shingles and other ailments. She used a wheelchair, said little, was constantly surrounded by her staff and clearly lacked the vigor and obvious savvy of her earlier years.

She issued a statement explaining she’d be pursuing a “lighter schedule.”