Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein (born June 23, 1933) is a Democratic U.S. Senator from California, a position she has held since 1992. She was also San Francisco's first and, to date, only female mayor.
Feinstein, who is Jewish, was born Dianne Emiel Goldman in San Francisco. Her father, Leon Goldman, was a nationally renowned surgeon who traveled frequently and spoke at academic conferences. She received her B.A. degree in history in 1955 from Stanford University. In 1957, she married Jack Berman, a colleague in the San Francisco District Attorney's office. They were divorced three years later.
In 1962, shortly after starting her career in politics, she married neurosurgeon Bertram Feinstein. In 1969, Feinstein won a position on the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors, which is also the City Council of San Francisco. She held this position for nine years, becoming the first woman President of the Board. During her tenure, she unsuccessfully ran for mayor of San Francisco twice (in 1971 against Mayor Joseph Alioto and in a 1975 contest for a runoff slot against George Moscone, losing by 1 percentage point to county supervisor John Barbagelata).
In November 1978, San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated by a rival politician, city supervisor Dan White. As President of the Board of Supervisors, Feinstein automatically succeeded to the mayoral position on December 4. She served out the remainder of the term and was re-elected in 1979 for a second term and finally left office on January 8, 1988. In 1984 she survived an attempt to recall her from office.
In 1978, Feinstein's husband, Bertram, died of colon cancer. In 1980, she married Richard C. Blum, an investment banker who later helped fund her unsuccessful bid for the California Governor's seat in 1990. She lost to Republican Senator Pete Wilson, who vacated his seat in the Senate to assume the governorship. In 1992, Feinstein won a special election to fill the remaining two years in Wilson's vacated Senate seat. She was re-elected in 1994 and again in 2000 and announced plans to run in 2006. In 1998 and 2003 many advised her to run for governor, but she refused.
A vocal supporter of embryonic stem cell research, Feinstein was one of 58 senators who signed a letter directed to President George W. Bush, in hopes of relaxing the federal restrictions on embryonic stem cell research.
Feinstein is a strong proponent of gun control, yet is known to have carried concealed handguns herself with a normally hard-to-obtain California carry permit - few people, other than politicians and celebrities, are able to obtain California CCW permits. At one time, she was the only person in San Francisco to possess a concealed carry permit.
Feinstein is listed as a member of the Trilateral Commission as well as the Council on Foreign Relations.
Personal
Feinstein is married to wealthy financier Richard C. Blum. The couple have a net worth ranging from $26 million to $50 million.