114 Facts About Dianne Feinstein

Dianne Emiel Feinstein was an American politician who served as a United States senator from California from 1992 until her death in 2023.

Dianne Feinstein 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.

Dianne Feinstein chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee from 2009 to 2015 and was the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2017 to 2021.

In February 2023, Dianne Feinstein announced she would not seek reelection in 2024.

Dianne Feinstein was the longest-serving US senator from California and the longest-tenured female senator in history.

Dianne Feinstein graduated from Convent of the Sacred Heart High School in 1951 and from Stanford University in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts in history.

Later, Dianne Feinstein's mother received a brain scan that found that the part of her brain responsible for judgment had atrophied, "possibly because of complications from a severe illness as a child".

From 1955 to 1956, Dianne Feinstein was a fellow at the Coro Foundation in San Francisco, an organization that provides young people with political experience.

Dianne Feinstein was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969.

Dianne Feinstein remained on the board for nine years, serving as its first female president from 1970 to 1971, with additional tenures from 1974 to 1975 and January to December 1978.

Dianne Feinstein was inaugurated by Chief Justice Rose Bird of the Supreme Court of California on December 4,1978, becoming San Francisco's first female mayor.

Dianne Feinstein helped win federal funding for the bulk of the work.

Dianne Feinstein oversaw policies to increase the number of San Francisco's high-rise buildings.

Dianne Feinstein was seen as a relatively moderate Democrat in one of the country's most liberal cities.

In 1982, Dianne Feinstein proposed banning handguns in San Francisco, and became subject to a recall attempt organized by the White Panther Party.

Dianne Feinstein won the recall election and finished her second term as mayor on January 8,1988.

Dianne Feinstein revealed sensitive details about the hunt for serial killer Richard Ramirez at a 1985 press conference, antagonizing detectives by publicizing details of his crimes known only to law enforcement, and thus jeopardizing their investigation.

Dianne Feinstein was a member of the Trilateral Commission in 1988.

Dianne Feinstein made an unsuccessful bid for governor of California in 1990.

Dianne Feinstein won the Democratic nomination, but lost the general election to US Senator Pete Wilson, who resigned from the Senate to assume the governorship.

In 1992, Dianne Feinstein was fined $190,000 for failure to properly report campaign contributions and expenditures in that campaign.

Dianne Feinstein ran for US Senate in a 1992 special election to complete Wilson's term.

Dianne Feinstein was reelected in 1994,2000,2006,2012, and 2018.

In October 2017, Dianne Feinstein declared her intention to run for reelection in 2018.

Dianne Feinstein lost the endorsement of the California Democratic Party's executive board, which opted to support State Senator Kevin de Leon.

Dianne Feinstein has been described as "a titan of US political history who notched countless legislative achievements" in her Senate career.

Dianne Feinstein was known for her work on gun control issues.

In 2009, Dianne Feinstein chaired the first inaugural ceremony of President Barack Obama.

Dianne Feinstein was the first woman to chair the Senate Rules Committee and the first to chair the Select Committee on Intelligence.

Dianne Feinstein became the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017, and was the first woman to hold that position.

On November 5,2022, Dianne Feinstein became the longest-serving female senator in US history.

Dianne Feinstein responded that there was no cause for concern and that she had no plans to leave the Senate.

On October 22,2022, Dianne Feinstein said that due to family matters, she was not interested in serving as president pro tempore in 2023; the position is traditionally held by the senior member of the Senate's majority party.

In February 2023, Dianne Feinstein said she would not seek reelection in 2024 and that she intended to retire upon the completion of her term.

Dianne Feinstein served on the Judiciary Committee, which was evenly split between Democrats and Republicans without her.

Dianne Feinstein returned to the Senate on May 10,2023, amid continuing concern about her capacity to serve.

Dianne Feinstein was the first woman to chair the Senate Rules Committee and the first to chair the Select Committee on Intelligence.

Dianne Feinstein became the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017, and was the first woman to hold that position.

Dianne Feinstein previously sat on the Foreign Relations Committee and Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

In 2018, the Los Angeles Times wrote that Dianne Feinstein had emphasized her centrism when she first ran for statewide offices in the 1990s.

Dianne Feinstein was known for her advocacy of gun control, abortion access, environmental protection, and a strong national defense.

When Dianne Feinstein first ran for statewide office in 1990, she supported capital punishment.

In 2007, Dianne Feinstein led a bipartisan effort as part of the wider Energy Independence and Security Act to significantly reduce automotive greenhouse gas emissions, which accounted for 26 percent of total US emissions at the time.

Dianne Feinstein co-sponsored an amendment through the Senate to the Economic Development Revitalization Act of 2011 that eliminated the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit.

Later in the 116th and 117th Congresses, Dianne Feinstein authored the Addressing Climate Financial Risk Act, to prepare US financial institutions for risks posed by climate change.

However, a separate battery storage tax credit bill co-sponsored by Dianne Feinstein was ultimately incorporated into the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation she supported.

Dianne Feinstein, who spent her childhood visiting the lake, regarded Lake Tahoe as "a national treasure" and "the Jewel of the High Sierra".

Dianne Feinstein founded the Lake Tahoe Summit in 1997 and successfully authored the landmark Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 2000.

Dianne Feinstein co-sponsored legislation in 2006 with Barbara Boxer that permanently protected approximately 300,000 acres of wilderness in Northern California, namely the King Range, Yolla-Bolly Middle Eel, and Trinity Alps wilderness areas, along with 21 miles of the Black Butte River in Mendocino County.

Later in 2016, Dianne Feinstein requested President Obama create Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow, and Castle Mountains national monuments under the Antiquities Act.

Dianne Feinstein authored the California Desert Protection and Recreation Act as part of the bipartisan omnibus public lands package passed in 2019, furthering landscape conservation and outdoor recreation opportunities in the California desert.

Dianne Feinstein supported a conciliatory approach between China and Taiwan and fostered increased dialogue between high-level Chinese representatives and US senators during her first term as senator.

Dianne Feinstein criticized Beijing's missile tests near Taiwan and called for dismantlement of missiles pointed at the island.

Dianne Feinstein promoted stronger business ties between China and Taiwan over confrontation, and suggested that the US patiently "use two-way trade across Taiwan Strait as a platform for more political dialogue and closer ties".

Dianne Feinstein believed that deeper cross-strait economic integration "will one day lead to political integration and will ultimately provide the solution" to the Taiwan issue.

Dianne Feinstein voted for the Iraq War and later said she regretted it.

Dianne Feinstein called for the US to "quickly engage North Korea in a high-level dialogue without any preconditions".

Dianne Feinstein introduced the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which became law in 1994 and expired in 2004.

Dianne Feinstein supported the Affordable Care Act, repeatedly voting to defeat initiatives aimed against it.

Dianne Feinstein voted to regulate tobacco as a drug; expand the Children's Health Insurance Program; override the president's veto of adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility; increase Medicaid rebate for producing generic drugs; negotiate bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drugs; allow re-importation of prescription drugs from Canada; allow patients to sue HMOs and collect punitive damages; cover prescription drugs under Medicare, and means-test Medicare.

Dianne Feinstein voted against the Paul Ryan Budget's Medicare choice, tax and spending cuts; and allowing tribal Indians to opt out of federal healthcare.

Dianne Feinstein favored the creation of a public option to achieve universal healthcare, co-sponsoring a bill with that aim.

At an April 2017 town hall meeting in San Francisco, Dianne Feinstein was booed when she stated that she did not support a proposal for single-payer health insurance.

In September 2017, after Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Dianne Feinstein admitted the legality of the program was questionable while citing this as a reason for why a law should be passed.

In 1996, Dianne Feinstein was one of only 14 senators to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as an opposite-sex union for purposes of federal law.

Dianne Feinstein opposed a number of reforms to cannabis laws at the state and federal level.

Dianne Feinstein cited her belief that cannabis is a gateway drug in voting against the amendment.

In 2018, Dianne Feinstein softened her views on marijuana and cosponsored the STATES Act, legislation that would protect states from federal interference regarding both medical and recreational use.

Dianne Feinstein supported legislation in 2015 to allow medical cannabis to be recommended to veterans in states where its use is legal.

Dianne Feinstein was described during her lifetime as a "hawk" on matters of national security.

Dianne Feinstein voted for the extension of the Patriot Act and the FISA provisions in 2012.

Dianne Feinstein voted for President Trump's $675-billion defense budget bill for FY 2019.

Dianne Feinstein met with representatives of technology companies, including Google and Facebook, in January 2012.

In October 2013, Dianne Feinstein criticized the NSA for monitoring telephone calls of foreign leaders friendly to the US In November 2013, she promoted the FISA Improvements Act bill, which included a "backdoor search provision" that allows intelligence agencies to continue certain warrantless searches as long as they are logged and "available for review" to various agencies.

In June 2013, Dianne Feinstein called Edward Snowden a "traitor" after his leaks went public.

In 2014, Dianne Feinstein accused the CIA of snooping and removing files from congressional computers, saying that the "CIA's search may well have violated the separation of powers principles embodied in the United States Constitution".

In 2020, Dianne Feinstein co sponsored the EARN IT Act, which seeks to create a 19-member committee to decide a list of best practices websites must follow to be protected by section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Dianne Feinstein was selected to serve as one of the four chairs of the 1980 Democratic National Convention.

Dianne Feinstein endorsed former Vice President Walter Mondale during the 1984 presidential election.

Days after Obama amassed enough delegates to win the nomination, Dianne Feinstein lent her Washington, DC, home to Clinton and Obama for a private one-on-one meeting.

Dianne Feinstein did not attend the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver because she had fallen and broken her ankle earlier in the month.

Dianne Feinstein chaired the United States Congress Joint Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and acted as mistress of ceremonies, introducing each participant at the 2009 presidential inauguration.

Dianne Feinstein was the first woman to have presided over a US presidential inauguration.

Ahead of the 2016 presidential election, Dianne Feinstein was one of 16 female Democratic senators to sign an October 20,2013, letter endorsing Hillary Clinton for president.

At an August 29,2017, event in San Francisco, Dianne Feinstein expressed hope that Trump could become a good president.

On January 9,2018, Dianne Feinstein caused a stir when, as ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, she released a transcript of its August 2017 interview with Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson about the dossier regarding connections between Trump's campaign and the Russian government.

Dianne Feinstein did this unilaterally after the committee's chairman, Chuck Grassley, refused to release the transcript.

In September 2005, Dianne Feinstein was one of five Democratic senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote against Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, saying that Roberts had "failed to state his positions on such social controversies as abortion and the right to die".

On July 12,2009, Dianne Feinstein said the Senate would confirm Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, praising her for her experience and for overcoming "adversity and disadvantage".

In February 2017, Dianne Feinstein requested that Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch provide information on cases in which he had assisted with decision-making.

Dianne Feinstein did not refer the allegation to the FBI until September 14,2018, after the Senate Judiciary Committee had completed its hearings on Kavanaugh's nomination and "after leaks to the media about [the Ford allegation] had reached a 'fever pitch'".

Dianne Feinstein faced "sharp scrutiny" for her decision to keep quiet about the Ford allegation for several weeks; she responded that she kept the letter and Ford's identity confidential because Ford had requested it.

Dianne Feinstein opposed Barrett's nomination, but at the conclusion of the hearings, she hugged Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, saying, "this has been one of the best set of hearings that I've participated in".

Dianne Feinstein was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Golden Gate University in San Francisco on June 4,1977.

Dianne Feinstein was awarded the Legion of Honour by France in 1984.

Dianne Feinstein received with the Woodrow Wilson Award for public service from the Woodrow Wilson Center of the Smithsonian Institution on November 3,2001, in Los Angeles.

In 2002, Dianne Feinstein won the American Medical Association's Nathan Davis Award for "the Betterment of the Public Health".

Dianne Feinstein was named as one of The Forward 50 in 2015.

Dianne Feinstein married Jack Berman, who was then working in the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, in 1956.

In 1962, shortly after beginning her career in politics, Dianne Feinstein married her second husband, neurosurgeon Bertram Dianne Feinstein, who died of colon cancer in 1978.

Dianne Feinstein took up pencil drawing as a hobby in the 1990s, primarily depicting scenes from nature and still lifes of flowers taken from her gardens.

Dianne Feinstein later made prints from her original pieces for charity auctions and as gifts to Senate colleagues, ambassadors, and other dignitaries.

Dianne Feinstein had an artificial cardiac pacemaker inserted at George Washington University Hospital in January 2017.

In 2020, investigative journalist Jane Mayer reported that it had been evident to some colleagues and staffers for several years that Dianne Feinstein was experiencing cognitive decline.

In March 2023, Dianne Feinstein was diagnosed with shingles and hospitalized.

Dianne Feinstein then suffered complications, including encephalitis and Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

On July 17,2023, Dianne Feinstein ceded power of attorney to her daughter, Katherine.

Dianne Feinstein died of natural causes at her home in Washington, DC, on September 29,2023, at the age of 90.

Dianne Feinstein received many tributes from politicians such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell; President Joe Biden; Vice President Kamala Harris, who served with Dianne Feinstein during her time in the Senate; former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton; House Speaker Kevin McCarthy; former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; former Secretary of State, First Lady and Senate colleague Hillary Clinton; fellow Senators Alex Padilla, Bob Casey Jr.

Dianne Feinstein's death marked the first time a sitting senator had died since John McCain died in 2018 of brain cancer, and the first time in US history that a female senator died in office.

Dianne Feinstein lay in state at San Francisco City Hall on October 4,2023.

Dianne Feinstein was buried between the graves of her two husbands at Hills of Eternity Memorial Park in Colma, California.

Dianne Feinstein had previously promised to appoint a Black woman in the event of a Senate vacancy.

The 2019 film The Report, about the Senate Intelligence Committee investigation into the CIA's use of torture, extensively features Dianne Feinstein, portrayed by Annette Bening.