Politicians, friends and citizens alike gathered at the San Francisco City Hall this week to pay homage to their late Senator Dianne Feinstein. Following a long and successful political career, Feinstein passed away last Thursday 28th October at age 90, following a remarkable five terms and thirty-one years in the Senate.
Born a San Francisco native on the 22nd of June 1933, Feinstein was a Californian through and through, studying at Stanford University before spending much of her career devoted to the liberal nature of her home state.
She had an unusual rise to political prominence, abruptly assuming the mayorship of San Francisco in 1978 upon the assassination of her predecessor George Moscone, a position she then held for ten years. Tasked with breaking the horrific news of the assassination to the press and public, this event was one which prompted Feinstein's staunch commitment to gun control which came to define her career.
During her time as Mayor of San Francisco, Feinstein also gained national recognition for her response to the AID’s crisis, out of which she launched her campaign for the Senate. Her subsequent election, along with that of her Californian peer Barbara Boxer, made the two women the first female senators in US history, prompting the notion of 1992 as the “year of the woman” in US politics.
Feinstein continued to bear the torch for her female peers as she became renowned for putting pressure on traditionally ‘male’ areas of US politics including gun reform, prisons and national intelligence. Through her endeavours, she opened up opportunities for other women to do the same, reflecting at the time on how: “women have begun to see that if I go through that doorway, I take everybody through it.”
More recently, reports of patronising attitudes towards young campaigners and general questions surrounding her age and capability led some to suggest Feinstein resign from the Senate. Prior to her death, following a spout of illness at the beginning of this year, Feinstein confirmed that her current fifth term would be her final.
Following her death last week, many have suggested that her career has been somewhat overshadowed by the question of her successor. It seems only fitting, however, that following a career fiercely dedicated to inclusion and bravery in the face of injustice, that Democrat Laphonza Butler is to take over.
Sworn in by Kamala Harris last Tuesday 3rd October, Butler has become only the third black female senator in US history, and the first black lesbian senator also. Even in her passing, Feinstein continues to open doors for the women around her, and the legacy of her remarkable career is infused with a hope to live on.