As the nation mourns Senator Feinstein, a trailblazing leader whose half-century of service championed women's rights and bipartisan solutions the NWLC vows to uphold her enduring legacy.
The loss of Senator Dianne Feinstein, who represented California in Congress, occurred on September 29, 2023. Fatima Goss Graves, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Women's Law Center, remarked that Senator Dianne Feinstein "was a dedicated public servant who defended the rights of women and families for more than half a century." Because of her revolutionary work on the Senate Judiciary Committee and her efforts to achieve marriage equality, Senator Feinstein will leave a legacy that will go on for many years to come.
In 1992, Dianne Feinstein was first elected to the United States Senate, where she has since gone on to become the senator with the most years of service of any woman in Senate history. She never stopped seeking a middle ground between the warring factions in order to find solutions to problems facing the nation. She is a fervent environmentalist and was key in the passage of regulations that dramatically improved the fuel efficiency of automobiles and protected California's natural resources. These laws were a direct result of her work. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which Feinstein chaired and oversaw, is responsible for the creation of a number of significant pieces of legislation and reports, one of which is an investigation into the interrogation and torture practices of the CIA. Her work had an impact not just on immigration policy but also on civil rights legislation and the criminal justice system.
After beginning her political career in 1969 as a member of the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors, Senator Dianne Feinstein was elevated to the position of Mayor of San Francisco in 1978, following the tragic deaths of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. She has been honored with numerous accolades for her work over the years, including the National Park Heritage Award in 2019 from the National Parks Conservation Association and the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Safety Hero Award in 2022. Both of these honors were bestowed upon her in recognition of the significant contributions she has made over the course of her career.
When speaking on behalf of many others, Representative Graves of the Northwest Legislative Caucus remarked, "Our thoughts are with all those mourning the loss of this incredible public servant." We are committed to carrying forward the work begun by Senator Feinstein.
