California democrat, the longest-serving Jewish member of Senate, got start in San Francisco after murder of Harvey Milk, died Friday as oldest member of legislative body
Then San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein carries a candle as she leads an estimated 15,000 marchers also carrying candles during a procession in memory of slain Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in San Francisco, November 28, 1979. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
Then Acting Mayor Dianne Feinstein, with police Chief Charles Gain, at left, addresses the more than 25,000 people jammed around San Francisco's City Hall, Nov. 28, 1978, as residents staged a spontaneous memorial service for slain officials Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. (AP Photo/File)
San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein, named mayor following the assassination of Mayor George Moscone in San Francisco, Dec. 12, 1979, wins office in her own right, by a large majority. (AP Photo/Sal Veder, File)
San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein and singer Tony Bennett, who sang "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," hang onto the outside of a cable car in San Francisco before taking a test ride, May 2, 1984. (AP Photo/Jeff Reinking, File)
Former US President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, back left, wave to photographers on the City Hall balcony as they arrive with San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein, right, in San Francisco, February 1, 1983. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
With the help of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, US Sen. Dianne Feinstein flexes her bicep to show the muscle she will use to help Schwarzenegger come up with a water plan during a news conference at the Capitol, in Sacramento, California, February 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, talks with Sen. Dianne Feinstein on their way to vote on the Deficit Reduction Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, December 21, 2005. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke, File)
US Sen. Dianne Feinstein heads to the chamber to advance a bill providing $1 billion in loan guarantees to Ukraine as then president Barack Obama meets with US allies in Europe to punish Moscow for its annexation of the Crimean peninsula, at the Capitol in Washington, March 24, 2014. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
US President Barack Obama and US Sen. Dianne Feinstein greet each other on the tarmac upon his arrival on Air Force One at San Francisco International Airport, November 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
President George W. Bush, right, escorts US Sen. Dianne Feinstein as they walk through the remains of a home that was damaged by the California wildfires, October 25, 2007, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
US Sen. Dianne Feinstein is seen in an elevator on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 17, 2013, after speaking on the Senate floor about gun legislation. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
From far left, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Sen. John Cornyn, President Donald Trump and Sen. Dianne Feinstein look across the table in the Cabinet Room of the White House, in Washington, February 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
US Sen. Dianne Feinstein touches the flag-draped casket of former Sen. Bob Dole as he lies in state in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, December 9, 2021. (Ken Cedeno/Pool Photo via AP, File)
US Sen. Dianne Feinstein is flanked by aides as she returns to the Senate Judiciary Committee following a more than two-month absence as she was being treated for a case of shingles, at the Capitol in Washington, May 11, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
US Sen. Dianne Feinstein, accompanied by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, arrives at the US Capitol in Washington, May 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
SAN FRANCISCO — US Senator Dianne Feinstein’s groundbreaking career in politics was documented in photos from the moment she was sworn in as San Francisco mayor in the aftermath of tragedy to her long-awaited return to the US Senate after illness earlier this year.
The pictures start in black and white, showing a young Feinstein as she leads an estimated 15,000 marchers in memory of slain Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. She became the city’s first female mayor after their assassination in 1978 and held the office for nearly a decade.
As mayor, she helped secure millions of dollars from the federal government to refurbish the city’s iconic cable cars and took a celebratory ride with Tony Bennett, who famously crooned of leaving his heart in San Francisco.
The photos turn into color as Feinstein broke more barriers. She won a US Senate race in 1992 to become one of California’s first two female senators. She was the first woman to head the Senate Intelligence Committee and the first woman to serve as the Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat.
She was the longest-tenured female senator in US history, the longest-serving Jewish senator ever, and oldest sitting senator when she died Thursday at age 90 at her Washington, DC, home.
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Along the way, a playful Feinstein flexed a bicep in support of California Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s $9 billion water bond for the state and linked arms with former GOP president George W. Bush as they toured wildfire damage in San Diego. The centrist Democrat valued working with Republicans across the aisle.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dianne Feinstein waves to supporters at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, June 6, 1990, after winning her party’s nomination for governor in the California primary. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
One of her most significant legislative accomplishments came at the start of her career when the Senate approved her amendment to ban the manufacturing and sale of certain types of semi-automatic guns. The legislation expired a decade later, in 2014, and was never revived despite efforts by gun control advocates.
During debate on the ban, Idaho Republican Senator Larry Craig suggested Feinstein study up on the issue of guns. ″Senator, I know something about what firearms can do,” she replied, referring to the assassination of Moscone and Milk.
Feinstein’s lengthy career was marred by illness and frustration among fellow Democrats over her health. She returned to Capitol Hill in May after more than two months out while recovering from the shingles virus.
Tributes poured in Friday for Feinstein.
