Sen. Dianne Feinstein dies at age 90

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Sen. Dianne Feinstein served for decades in the U.S. Senate. Associated Press/Photo by J. Scott Applewhite, file

The Democratic senator from California died Thursday night after serving in the U.S. Senate since 1992. She was the oldest member of Congress at the time of her death and is the longest-serving female senator in history. Feinstein had been struggling with her health this week and missed nearly three months of work earlier this year due to a severe case of shingles.

What was her role in the Senate? Feinstein advocated for gun control measures and legislation related to the environment. Her current assignments included serving on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Some lawmakers this year called for her to resign due to her poor health, and she had planned to retire at the end of her term in early 2024.

Dig deeper: Listen to Leo Briceno’s report in The World and Everything in It about how Americans are concerned about aging politicians.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.