8legs: Senate committee on indian affairs

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Trailblazing US Senator who competed at the Olympics dies aged 92

Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a pioneering Colorado senator and Olympic judoka, died at 92 from natural causes.
Campbell served two Senate terms from 1993 to 2005 and was the first Native American to chair the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Born in 1933, Campbell left high school to serve in the U.S. Air Force and earned his GED during service.
Campbell helped expand indigenous rights, public land protections, and labor advocacy during his Senate tenure.
After the Senate, Campbell started a lobbying firm and remained active in public life in Ignacio, Colorado.
Campbell’s legacy includes building the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall.
Campbell was married to Linda for 59 years and had two children.
He led a varied life as an educator, jewelry maker, and pilot with a pilot’s license.
Campbell's death drew tributes from colleagues who described him as a bipartisan leader.
Per the report, Campbell transitioned to Republican in 1995 to better serve Native Americans.

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