Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks with reporters after speaking in the Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on January 30, 2026 in Washington, DC.
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Senator Lindsey Graham has died, his office announced Sunday.
“On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham died after a brief and sudden illness,” Graham’s office said in a statement. statement on X.
Graham, a prominent Republican from South Carolina, was 71 years old.
“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult time,” his office added.
A spokeswoman for Graham told MS NOW that he had just returned from a trip to Ukraine. She had no additional information about the circumstances of his death and said more information would be available in the coming days.
His Senate website described Graham as “a conservative problem solver and one of the most ardent supporters of a robust national defense.
President Donald Trump said Graham was “one of the greatest people and senators I have ever known.”
“He was always working and was a true American patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!” Trump said. said in an article on Truth Social.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his wife Sara were “in mourning with the American people the loss of our dear friendSenator Lindsey Graham”.
“Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable. He dedicated his life to defending America, strengthening our alliance and defending the free world,” Netanyahu said in a message on X.
Graham was elected to the United States Senate in 2002 and re-elected in 2008, 2014 and 2020.
He served as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
Before serving in the Senate, Graham was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994.
Before being elected to Congress, Graham served in the United States Air Force, totaling six and a half years of active duty as an Air Force attorney.
During the first Gulf War in the early 1990s, Graham was called to active duty and served as a staff judge advocate where he prepared members for deployment to the Gulf region.
Graham retired from the Air Force Reserve in June 2015, after serving his country in uniform for 33 years. He retired at the rank of Colonel.
Originally from South Carolina, Graham grew up in a blue-collar family in the small town of Central where his parents ran a restaurant and pool hall, according to his website. The first in his family to attend college, Graham earned his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of South Carolina.
