Sen. Diane Fienstein of California passed away on Friday morning at age 90. Here are the details from ABC 7:
Senator Dianne Feinstein has died at 90 years old, ABC7 Insider Phil Matier has confirmed. Her career was one of many firsts. She was the first woman president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the first woman mayor of San Francisco, and one of two of the first women elected to the U.S. Senate from California.
"Dianne Feinstein, right from the start, was an icon for women in politics," said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Senator Chuck Schumer adds, "She's a legend. A legend in California as the first woman senator. A legend in the Senate. She was the leader on so many different issues."
In recent months, there were many calls for Feinstein to step down from office as it was clear her health was declining rapidly. Like many of the elderly politicians in DC, however, she and her staff ignored those calls for years, even when she was absent this year for three months, then visibly could not vote without the help of aides after her return.
Despite being wheeled around in a chair with marked mental decline, Feinstein voted the day before her death.
Feinstein was born in 1933 and served as San Francisco mayor in 1979 before being elected to the Senate 31 years ago in 1992. Her first political appointment was the California Women's Parole Board in 1960.
Her late third husband, investment banker Richard Blum, passed away last year from cancer. She leaves behind a daughter, Katherine.
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