Lindsey Graham dies at 71 after decades as a force in the Senate

Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who became a leading Senate advocate for U.S. military power and a central figure in judicial and impeachment fights, died Saturday night, the Associated Press reported. A preliminary report from the Washington, D.C., medical examiner’s office said his death followed a tear in his aorta linked to hardening of the arteries, according to AP. He was 71.

Graham had just returned to Washington after a trip to Ukraine and had announced an agreement with the Trump administration on new Russia sanctions, AP reported. He had been scheduled to discuss the issue Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” but President Donald Trump appeared instead and said, “I just can’t believe it. He was like a member of the family.”

AP reported that Graham’s death drew tributes from U.S. lawmakers in both parties and from leaders abroad, reflecting his reach in foreign policy and his reputation for building personal relationships across political lines. Bob McAlister, a communications consultant who worked with Graham for years, told AP that Graham was “the quintessential boy makes good story.”

From Central, South Carolina, to military law

Graham was born July 19, 1955, to Millie and Florence James Graham in Central, South Carolina, according to AP. His parents ran a restaurant, bar and pool hall, and Graham, his younger sister and their parents lived in one room behind the business.

His sister, Darline, recalled in 2015 that the family slept, ate and watched television in the same room, AP reported. Graham later wrote that the Sanitary Cafe, like many establishments of that era, was segregated, with Black customers required to drink alcohol outside until the 1970s; he also said his father would not accept white patrons using racial slurs.

Graham became the first person in his family to attend college, enrolling at the University of South Carolina, AP reported. While he was in college, his mother died of Hodgkin lymphoma; months later, his father was diagnosed with prostate cancer and then died of a heart attack as Graham began law school.

After his parents died, Graham became guardian to his younger sister, according to AP. He later spoke often about Social Security benefits that helped them stay afloat financially.

AP reported that Graham earned a law degree and served as a judge advocate general in the Air Force, beginning as a defense lawyer for accused service members and later becoming the Air Force’s chief prosecutor in Europe. He remained in the Reserve or National Guard for decades, returned briefly to active status during the Iraq War, received the Bronze Star in 2014 and retired as a colonel in 2015.

A partisan, a dealmaker and a Trump ally

Graham entered South Carolina politics after returning home, winning a state House seat in 1992 and a U.S. House seat in 1994, AP reported. He gained national attention during President Bill Clinton’s impeachment and served as one of the House managers in the Senate trial, where Clinton was acquitted.

In 2002, Graham won the Senate seat opened by the retirement of Strom Thurmond, according to AP. In the chamber, he became known for close ties to Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, a Democrat who later became an independent; the three called themselves the “Three Amigos” and pressed for U.S. intervention abroad, especially after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Graham ran for president in 2016 as a fierce critic of Trump, AP reported, including after Trump attacked McCain. Their relationship changed after Trump won the presidency and especially after McCain’s death in 2018, with Graham becoming a close White House intermediary and frequent golf partner, according to AP.

The relationship broke for a period after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, AP reported. By 2022, Graham was urging Republicans to stay aligned with Trump, saying on Fox News that the party could not “move forward” or “grow” without him.

Graham also became a major Republican voice on judicial nominations, AP reported. During Brett Kavanaugh’s 2018 Supreme Court confirmation fight, Graham delivered a forceful defense of the nominee as Kavanaugh faced sexual misconduct allegations.

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who worked with Graham on immigration legislation, told AP that Graham could be “a fierce Republican partisan one day and a key bipartisan ally the next.” Kevin Bishop, a longtime Graham aide, told AP the senator was “incredibly fun to be around” and could turn around visitors who entered his office angry.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.