Former Idaho Governor and U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has died at age 74. He passed away Friday evening in Boise, his family said in a statement released Saturday. Kempthorne had been diagnosed with colon cancer last year.
Kempthorne, a Republican, began his political career as mayor of Boise, elected at age 34 in 1985. He served seven years, revitalizing the downtown area with a convention center. He later won a U.S. Senate seat in 1992 vacated by Steve Symms and authored legislation signed by President Bill Clinton to end unfunded federal mandates on states and localities. Opting out of Senate reelection in 1998, he won the Idaho governorship with more than two-thirds of the vote, serving until 2006. President George W. Bush then appointed him Interior secretary, a role he held until 2009 while living on a houseboat on the Potomac River. There, he oversaw the listing of the polar bear as a threatened species in 2008 despite pushback, though environmentalists criticized his accommodation of oil and gas interests. “Dirk was one of the finest public servants I ever knew because he was one of the finest men,” former President George W. Bush said. “He was considerate, smart, and capable. Dirk loved our lands and waters, and as Secretary of the Interior, he was an effective steward of our natural resources.” Idaho Governor Brad Little praised Kempthorne's governorship. “As Governor, Dirk left an enduring mark on our state,” Little said. With his wife Patricia, he championed children and families, strengthened public education and led major transportation investments. In a 2023 session at the George W. Bush Presidential Center, Kempthorne recounted aiding the evacuation of nearly 400 U.S. citizens and Afghan allies from Afghanistan in 2021, including a prayer-inspired solution to add 50 more passengers by seating babies on laps. Kempthorne is survived by his wife Patricia, children Heather and Jeff, and their families. “Beyond his public service, he was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather whose greatest joy came from time spent with family and the people he met along the way,” his family said.
