Dianne Feinstein, political trailblazer and longest-serving woman in the Senate, dies at 90

Dianne Feinstein, who surmounted an abusive childhood and early political failures to become the first woman to represent California in the Senate and a central figure in the rise of women to national political power, has died. She was 90.

“Sadly, Senator Feinstein passed away last night at her home in Washington, D.C.,” her chief of staff, James Sauls, said in a statement Friday morning. “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.”

Feinstein was the oldest member of the U.S. Senate when she died, and questions about her mental capacity shadowed her final years in office, blemishing her reputation and forcing her to repeatedly fend off calls to resign.

“I’d put my record up against anyone’s,” Feinstein said in a statement as she neared her 89th birthday in April 2022, after a series of news accounts that questioned her ability to do her job.

She ultimately bowed to age and political reality, announcing in February that she would not seek reelection in 2024 to a sixth full term. By then, the race to succeed her was already underway.

Feinstein’s last Senate vote was cast at 11:45 a.m. Thursday, on a bill aimed at preventing a government shutdown. She missed two votes later in the day.

On Friday, a bouquet of white roses was placed on Feinstein’s seat in the Senate chamber, where Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer. D-N.Y., grew emotional speaking of his late colleague, calling her “one of the most amazing people who ever graced the Senate.” He added: “Her integrity was a diamond.”

President Joe Biden hailed Feinstein as “a pioneering American. A true trailblazer. And for Jill and me, a cherished friend.”

He said in a statement that Feinstein was a woman who “made history in so many ways. ... Dianne was tough, sharp, always prepared, and never pulled a punch, but she was also a kind and loyal friend, and that’s what Jill and I will miss the most.”

After two unsuccessful attempts to be elected mayor of San Francisco, Feinstein stepped into the job under dire circumstances following the 1978 assassination of her predecessor, George Moscone, and Supervisor Harvey Milk by a political colleague.

From that unanticipated perch, she was considered for a Democratic vice presidential nomination in 1984, and six years later became the first woman nominated by a major party for governor of California.

She lost, but rebounded two years later to claim the Senate seat that she would hold for more than three decades, becoming the longest woman to serve in the Senate.

Feinstein’s Senate career was marked by hard-fought accomplishments, including a