Dirk Kempthorne. Credit: U.S. Department of the Interior
The full U.S. Senate paused from partisan conflict long enough Monday to honor the life of Dirk Kempthorne, a man who served as president of the American Council of Life Insurers from 2010 through 2019.
Kempthorne died last month of colorectal cancer at age 74.
Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, introduced a resolution honoring Kempthorne, and all of his colleagues were co-sponsors.
Kempthorne was born in San Diego in 1951 and later moved to Idaho to attend the University of Idaho.
He started out working in public affairs in Idaho, then was elected mayor of Boise, Idaho, in 1985.
He represented Idaho as a Republican in the U.S. Senate from 1992 to 1999, was governor of Idaho from 1999 to 2006, and was the U.S. secretary of the interior from 2006 through 2009, under President George W. Bush.
When Kempthorne took over as the head of the ACLI, life insurers were still coping with the effects of the 2007-2009 financial crisis on their operations.
He helped the industry respond to federal efforts to add more oversight over life insurers and to apply a fiduciary standard to sales of annuities.
David Chavern, the current president of the ACLI, said in a statement that Kempthorne's "passion and commitment to the majesty of America's west was legendary."
"His work for the life insurance industry reflected his allegiance to the resilience and strength that characterize both his home and this industry," Chavern said.
Dirk Kempthorne. Credit: U.S. Department of the Interior
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