Dianne Feinstein: Quick Facts

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Sep. 24, 2026

American politician Dianne Feinstein was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 1992 and began repesenting California later that year. She was the first woman to serve as senator from that state. Feinstein previously was the first female mayor of San Francisco (1978–88).

Facts

Also Known As	Dianne Emiel Goldman
Born	June 22, 1933 • San Francisco • California
Died	September 28, 2023 (aged 90) • Washington, D.C. • United States
Title / Office	United States Senate (1992-), United States • mayor (1978-1988), San Francisco
Political Affiliation	Democratic Party
Notable Family Members	daughter of Leon Goldman • daughter of Betty Goldman • married to Jack Berman (1956–1959) • married to Bertram Feinstein (1962–1978 [his death]) • married to Richard C. Blum (1980–present) • mother of Katherine Feinstein (b. 1957) • sister of Lynne Kennedy • sister of Yvonne Banks
Education	Stanford University (B.S., 1955) • Convent of the Sacred Heart High School (San Francisco, California)
Role In	California Desert Protection Act
Twitter Handle	@SenFeinstein

Did You Know?

Feinstein discovered the body of Harvey Milk, San Francisco’s first openly gay city supervisor, in a corner of his office after Milk was assassinated by Dan White, a conservative former city supervisor.
While studying at Stanford University, Feinstein was student body vice president.