Trailblazing Senator Dianne Feinstein Dead at 90

California senator Dianne Feinstein, the longest-serving woman senator ever and the oldest member of Congress, died on Thursday night at age 90.

Feinstein was hospitalized for shingles in February; upon returning to Congress after a two-month recuperation, she exhibited frail health and memory issues that made it difficult for her to function without an entourage of staff members and aides. Feinstein also had suffered from encephalitis and Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which can cause facial paralysis.

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All along, despite expressions of concern, California’s senior senator insisted that she was able to work and had no plans to leave office before her term ends in 2025.

Since Feinstein’s election to the Senate in 1992, she established a reputation as an independent voice and compiled a significant record of legislative achievements across a wide range of issues. Said accomplishments included leading a bipartisan group of senators in passing legislation to drastically increase the fuel efficiency of cars; being a leading voice in the effort to legalize gay marriage and ensure rights for LGBT Americans; championing the preservation of the Mojave Desert, Lake Tahoe and California’s forests; creating the nationwide AMBER Alert network; and passing bills to criminalize border drug tunnels.

Feinstein also advocated for commonsense gun laws, and to that end she in 1994 helped enact the federal Assault Weapons Ban, which prohibited the sale, manufacture and import of military-style assault weapons. That ban, alas, expired in 2014.

In 2009, Feinstein became the first woman to chair the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, a position she held for six years. In 2017, she became the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the first woman to assume that role. She also served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, a position through which she secured billions of dollars for California communities, including critical transportation, water supply and federal building projects.

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