Lindsey Graham

July 09, 1955

Lindsey Olin Graham (July 9, 1955 — July 11, 2026) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the senior United States senator from South Carolina from 2003 until his death. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee on the Judiciary from 2019 to 2021. A native of Central, South Carolina, Graham received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1981. Most of his active duty during his military service occurred from 1982 to 1988, when he served with the Judge Advocate General's Corps in the United States Air Force, as a defense attorney and then with the Air Force's chief prosecutor in Europe, based in West Germany. Later, his entire service in the U.S. Air Force Reserve ran concurrently with his congressional career. He was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in 2014 and held the rank of colonel.