Lindsey Graham Born in Central, South Carolina

Summary

Lindsey Olin Graham was born on July 9, 1955, in Central, South Carolina. After earning undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina, Graham served as a lawyer in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps and continued his military service in reserve components for decades. He entered the South Carolina House of Representatives before winning election to the U.S. House in 1994. As a House member, Graham was one of the managers in President Bill Clinton's 1999 impeachment trial. He won election to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and served from 2003 until his death in Washington, D.C., on July 11, 2026. Graham chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee and later the Budget Committee and became a prominent participant in debates over judicial nominations, national security, military policy, immigration, and foreign affairs. He also briefly sought the Republican presidential nomination in the 2016 election cycle.