This year saw the passing of many prominent figures in politics. Here are just some of them:
Source: U.S. Army
Kit Bond, 86, former Republican U.S. Senator (1987-2011) and Governor (1973-1977, 1981-1985) from Missouri.
Source: AP
David Boren, 83, former U.S. Senator (1979-1994) and Governor (1975-1979) from Oklahoma. He was the most recent Democrat to have served as Senator from Oklahoma.
Source: Getty Images
Muhammadu Buhari, 82, former military dictator (1983-1985) and President (2015-2023) of Nigeria.
Source: AP
Ben Nighthorse Campbell, 92, former Republican U.S. Senator from Colorado (1993-2005) who was the only Native American member of the Senate during his tenure
Source: AP
Mike Castle, 86, former Republican U.S. congressman (1993-2011) and Governor (1985-1992) from Delaware; he was the most recent Republican to represent the state in Congress.
Source: CNN via AP
Dick Cheney, 84, 46th Vice President of the United States (2001-2009) under President George W. Bush and former Secretary of Defense (1989-1993) under President George H.W. Bush; his tenure as Vice President is considered one of the most polarizing in U.S. history.
Source: USA Today Network via Imagn Images
Martha Layne Collins, 88, former Democratic Governor of Kentucky (1983-1987); was the first and only elected woman to hold the office.
Source: Politico
Gerry Connolly, 75, Democratic U.S. congressman from Virginia (2009-2025).
Source: CQ Roll Call
Duke Cunningham, 83, U.S. Navy fighting ace during the Vietnam War who later served as a Republican congressman from California (1991-2005) until resigning due to charges of bribery.
Source: Focus on the Family
James Dobson, 89, founder of the conservative Christian ministry Focus on the Family who was a politically influential campaigner against abortion and LGBTQ rights.
Source: The Boston Globe via Getty
Kitty Dukakis, 88, wife of 1988 Democratic presidential nominee and former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis.
Source: AP
Juan Ponce Enrile, 101, Philippine defense chief during the country’s martial law period notorious for human rights atrocities, plunder, and democratic backsliding; his break from Ferdinand Marcos led to the dictator’s overthrow in 1986 “people power” uprising.
Source: Getty Images
Pope Francis, 88, head of the Roman Catholic Church and the sovereign of Vatican City (2013-2025); first Jesuit and person from the Americas to be elected to the position; he charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change.
Source: Getty Images
Mauricio Funes, 65, former President of El Salvador (2009-2014) who fled to Nicaragua to avoid various criminal sentences
Source: AP
David Gergen, 83, American political commentator who served as longtime political adviser to four U.S. presidents
Source: Reuters
Virginia Giuffre, 41, advocate for survivors of sex trafficking and a prominent accuser of child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; she accused Britain’s Prince Andrew and other prominent men of sexually exploiting her.
Source: Getty Images
Raul Grijalva, 77, Democratic U.S. congressman from Arizona (2003-2025) who chaired the House Natural Resources Committee (2019-2023)
Source for left image: Larry D. Moore
Clint Hill, 93, U.S. Secret Service agent who leaped onto the back of President John F. Kennedy’s limousine after the President was shot; he was the last-surviving occupant of the presidential vehicle during the 1963 assassination
Jim Hunt, 88, former Democratic Governor of North Carolina (1977-1985, 1993-2001); he was the longest-serving governor in the state’s history.
Source: Getty Images
Ion Iliescu, 95, first freely elected President of Romania (1989-1996, 2000-2004) following the fall of communism in 1989; he later faced charges of crimes against humanity for his role in the bloody Romanian Revolution.
Source: WireImage
Joan B. Kennedy, 89, the former wife of Senator Edward M. Kennedy and sister-in-law to President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
Source: Reuters
Kim Yong Nam, 97, former long-time ceremonial head of state of North Korea (1998-2019).
Source: Getty Images
Charlie Kirk, 31, prominent American right-wing political activist and media personality who was assassinated in September 2025 during an event for his organization Turning Point USA.
Source: AP
Horst Kohler, 81, a former managing director of the International Monetary Fund (2000-2004) who later became a popular President of Germany (2004-2010); he resigned as President after making a controversial comment about the armed forces
Source: Getty Images
Jean-Marie Le Pen, 96, French leader of the far-right National Front (now National Rally) party (1972-2011) and five-time candidate for president, whose public statements caused much controversy and his expulsion from the party; father of right-wing political leader Marine Le Pen.
Source: Reuters
Mia Love, 49, U.S. congresswoman (2015-2019) from Utah who was the first Black woman Republican elected to Congress.
Source: ABC 7 Eyewitness News
Nita Lowey, 87, long-serving U.S. Democratic congresswoman from New York (1989-2021) who was the first woman to chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee (2019-2021).
Source: AFP/Getty Images
Edgar Lungu, 68, former President of Zambia (2015-2021).
Source: Greensboro News & Record/AP
Joseph McNeil, 83, one of four North Carolinian college students whose refusal to leave a racially segregated lunch counter 65 years ago helped spark nonviolent civil rights sit-ins across the South.
Source: Suburban Fury
Sara Jane Moore, 95, American woman who was imprisoned for 30 years after an unsuccessful September 1975 attempt to assassinate President Gerald Ford.
Source: AFP/Getty Images
Jose Mujica, 89, former President of Uruguay (2010-2015), was described as the “world’s poorest president” due to his austere lifestyle.
Source: AP
Tomiichi Murayama, 101, former Prime Minister of Japan (1994-1996) and the country’s first Socialist Prime Minister since 1948; he is famous for his 1995 “Murayama statement” apologizing to Asian victims of his country’s aggression during WW2.
Source: AP
Myint Swe, 74, army officer who became the acting President of Myanmar (2021-2025) following the military-backed coup that overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government.
Source: Reuters
Raila Odinga, 80, former Prime Minister of Kenya (2008-2013) and five-time presidential candidate who challenged one-party rule in the country.
Source: AP
Rod Paige, 92, former U.S. Secretary of Education (2001-2005) who rolled out the controversial No Child Left Behind Act under President George W. Bush; first African American to hold the office.
Source: AP
Charles Rangel, 94, former U.S. Democratic congressman (1971-2017) from New York and founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus who served as the first African American chair of the influential House Ways and Means Committee (2007-2010).
Source: AP
Cecile Richards, 67, American pro-choice activist who was president of Planned Parenthood.
Source: ABC 7 Chicago
George Ryan, 91, former Republican Governor of Illinois (1999-2003) who later went to prison on corruption charges.
Source: AP
Costas Simitis, 88, former Prime Minister of Greece (1996-2004) and socialist leader who ushered Greece into the Eurozone
Source: Bettman Archive
Alan Simpson, 93, former U.S. senator from Wyoming (1979-1997) and Senate Republican whip (1987-1995).
Source: Reuters
Queen Mother Sirikit, 93, former Queen consort of Thailand (1950-2016) as the wife of the late King Rama IX; mother of current King Rama X.
Source: Getty Images
David Souter, 85, former U.S. Supreme Court justice (1990-2009) and member of the Court’s liberal wing; his appointment to the Court by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 disappointed conservatives.
Source: Getty Images
Sylvester Turner, 70, Democratic U.S. congressman from Texas (January-March 2025) and former Mayor of Houston (2016-2024)
Source: AP
William H. Webster, 101, former director of the FBI (1978-1987) and the CIA (1987-1991).
Source: Reuters
Khaleda Zia, 80, first female elected Prime Minister of Bangladesh (1991-1996, 2001-2006) and archrival to longtime former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
Emil Ordonez, a political science major at Fordham University, is the founder and editor-in-chief of Polinsights. He has been deeply passionate about politics and history since learning every U.S. President at the age of five. He was compelled to start this blog after meeting many people who were misinformed or had become apathetic about how society worked. He hopes to provide factual knowledge and insights that will encourage people, especially the young, to get more engaged in their respective communities. In his free time, he edits for Wikipedia and makes maps for elections. He aspires to work in Congress or even the White House in the future.
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