US Senator Lindsey Graham, an influential Republican lawmaker and prominent advocate of an assertive American foreign policy, has died at the age of 71, his office announced on Sunday.
Graham died on the evening of Saturday, July 11, following what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness.” Further details about the illness were not immediately disclosed.
The South Carolina senator had served in the US Senate since 2003 and became one of Washington’s most recognisable voices on national security, defence and foreign policy.
Graham was a strong supporter of Israel and repeatedly advocated tougher US action against Iran. He also backed continued American support for Ukraine and pushed for harsher sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.
Just days before his death, Graham visited Kyiv and met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the trip, he said lawmakers had reached an agreement with the White House on legislation imposing further sanctions on Russia.
Graham initially emerged as a sharp critic of Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican presidential campaign but later became one of the president’s closest congressional allies and an influential adviser on foreign affairs.
He previously chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he played a leading role in Republican efforts to confirm conservative federal judges, including Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
Earlier in his career, Graham worked across party lines on immigration reform and maintained close political relationships with former senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman.
Before entering politics, Graham served as a lawyer in the US Air Force and later retired from the Air Force Reserve with the rank of colonel.
Tributes were issued by political figures in the United States and abroad following the announcement of his death. Israeli officials described Graham as a steadfast supporter of Israel and the US-Israeli alliance.
Graham, who never married and had no children, was preparing to seek another term in the Senate at the time of his death.