Several influential and noteworthy American political figures died in 2024.
Dexter Scott King, 62, on Jan. 22. He dedicated much of his life to shepherding the civil rights legacy of his parents, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.
Jean Carnahan, 90, on Jan. 30. She became the first female senator to represent Missouri when she was appointed to replace her husband following his death.
Joe Lieberman, 82, March 27. The former U.S. senator of Connecticut nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in the disputed 2000 election and almost became Republican John McCain’s running mate eight years later.
William D. Delahunt, 82, on March 30. The longtime Massachusetts congressman was a Democratic stalwart who postponed his retirement from Washington to help pass former President Barack Obama’s legislative agenda.
The Rev. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, 94, on April 5. An influential pastor and civil rights leader who used his tenure at one of Los Angeles’ oldest churches to uplift the predominantly black neighborhoods following one of the country’s worst race riots.
Bob Graham, 87, on April 16. A former U.S. senator and two-term Florida governor who gained national prominence as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks and as an early critic of the Iraq war.
Pete McCloskey, 96, On May 8. A pro-environment, anti-war California Republican who co-wrote the Endangered Species Act and co-founded Earth Day.
Ralph Kennedy Frasier, 85, on May 8. The last surviving member of a trio of African American youths who were the first to desegregate the undergraduate student body at UNC Chapel Hill in the 1950s.
The Rev. James Lawson Jr., 95, on June 9. An apostle of nonviolent protest who schooled activists to withstand brutal reactions from white authorities as the Civil Rights Movement gained traction.
George Nethercutt, 79, on June 14. The former U.S. congressman was a Spokane lawyer with limited political experience when he ousted Democratic Speaker of the House Tom Foley as part of a stunning GOP wave that shifted national politics to the right in 1994.
Jim Inhofe, 89, on July 9. A powerful fixture in Oklahoma politics for over six decades, the Republican U.S. senator was a conservative known for his strong support of defense spending and denial that human activity is responsible for the bulk of climate change.
Tommy Robinson, 82, on July 10. A former U.S. congressman who gained notoriety as an Arkansas sheriff for tactics that included chaining inmates outside a state prison to protest overcrowding. July 10.
Sheila Jackson Lee, 74, on July 19. The longtime congresswoman from Texas helped lead federal efforts to protect women from domestic violence and recognize Juneteenth as a national holiday.
Jim Sasser, 87, on Sept 10. He served 18 years in the U.S. Senate for Tennessee and six years as ambassador to China.
Tim Johnson, 77, Oct. 8. The former U.S. senator was the last Democrat to hold statewide office in South Dakota and was adept at securing federal funding for projects back home during his nearly three decades in Washington.
Ethel Kennedy, 96, on Oct. 10. The wife of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy raised their 11 children after he was assassinated and remained dedicated to social causes and the family’s legacy for decades thereafter.
Fred Harris, 94, on Nov. 23. A former U.S. senator from Oklahoma, presidential hopeful and populist who championed Democratic Party reforms in the turbulent 1960s.
Jim Leach, 82, on Dec. 11. A former congressman who served 30 years as a politician from eastern Iowa and later headed the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dec. 11.