South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham died at age 71 following a brief illness, his office announced. Preliminary findings from the D.C. medical examiner indicate a ruptured aorta due to cardiovascular disease as the cause of death. Graham, who had served in Congress for 31 years, died with an estimated net worth of approximately $1.4 million.
Financial disclosures filed in May showed Graham's assets ranging from just over $600,000 to more than $2.2 million. According to data from Quiver Quantitative, this placed him 294th in wealth among the 535 voting members of Congress. Graham's net worth was described as modest compared to many of his congressional peers. His assets were primarily invested in mutual funds and government bonds, and he largely avoided criticism regarding individual stock trading.
Graham earned an annual salary of $174,000 as a senator. He began his career in public service after serving in the Air Force, becoming the first in his family to attend university. He entered Congress after a stint in the House of Representatives, eventually serving in the Senate since 2003.
Graham's early life was marked by humble beginnings in Central, South Carolina, where his family ran a restaurant and later lived in a mobile home. After his parents died shortly after he left for college, Graham, then 22, became responsible for his younger sister.
Prior to his death, Graham had recently returned from a trip to Ukraine. He reportedly made a remark about unfinished legislative business shortly before his passing, including work on Russia sanctions, Iran policy, and Israeli-Saudi normalization.