Lindsey Graham, Republican south carolinaTrump, who took office in the Senate in 2003 and was a staunch political supporter of President Donald Trump, has died, his office confirmed earlier Sunday. He is 71 years old.
Graham’s office said he died Saturday night after a “brief and sudden illness.”
“Senator Graham’s family appreciates the prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this extremely difficult time,” the statement added.
Graham serves as chairman Senate Budget Committee member and is running for a fifth six-year term in the Senate this November. He is considered one of the most prominent members of the Chamber of Commerce and plays an important role in the party’s defense and international affairs.
Emergency crews were dispatched Saturday night after reports of a “cardiac arrest” at Graham’s Capitol Hill residence, according to police scanner audio obtained by NBC News.
NBC News reported that paramedics used a stretcher to transfer a patient from Graham’s residence to a waiting ambulance. In addition, there were police cars and fire engines at the scene.
How rich is Lindsey Graham?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Graham’s net worth is $2 million.
Lindsey Graham was elected to the Senate in 2003 to represent South Carolina. Prior to serving as a senator, he practiced law in the private sector and served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives in South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District. After unsuccessfully running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, Graham gained notoriety for his dramatic shifts in political stance, particularly his newfound admiration for Donald Trump, whom he had previously criticized.
According to Lindsay’s own tax returns, his total income from 2008 to 2019 was $2.1 million. His first federal financial disclosure in 2008 showed his net worth at $800,000. In subsequent years, his disclosed net worth fluctuated between $1.5 million and $2 million.
Lindsey Graham’s family: Everything we know about his personal life
Graham was born on July 9, 1955, in central South Carolina to Millie and Florence James (FJ) Graham, who ran a pool hall called the Sanitary Cafe. The family stayed in a single room at the back of the hotel. Eventually, they moved to a trailer and later to a nearby house. He attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia, becoming the first in his family to pursue higher education, graduating in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Graham received his J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1981.
When he was in college, both his parents died. His mother, Millie, died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 52, while his father suffered a heart attack just 15 months later, aged 69. To ensure his 13-year-old sister had insurance and benefits, Graham, then 21, assumed the role of her legal guardian.
Graham never married. He maintained a close relationship with his sister Darline, whom he helped raise when her parents died when she was 13. Earlier on the campaign trail, Graham said that if he was elected, the White House would have a “rotating first lady,” meaning his sister and other friends “could fill that role if needed.”
