U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. Biography

On the evening of July 11, Lindsey Graham, a Republican U.S. senator from South Carolina, died at the age of 72 (listed as an extremist and terrorist by Rosfinmonitoring). He was an influential representative of the Republican Party in Congress, an important adviser to US President Donald Trump and a "hawk" in relations with Russia. About the life and career of a Russophobic senator - in the material of Izvestia.

Early years and education

Lindsey Olin Graham was born on July 9, 1955 in the small town of Central, South Carolina. His parents owned a bar, a restaurant, and a billiard room. Despite having a business, the family lived quite modestly. After graduating from high school, Graham enrolled in a major University of South Carolina, where he studied psychology.

During his studies, he lost both his parents. At the age of 21, young Graham had to take custody of his 13-year-old sister, Darlene. In 1977, he became the first in his family to graduate from college. Graham then continued his studies at the University of South Carolina Law School and received his Juris Doctor degree in 1981.

Military service

After completing his law degree, Graham joined the United States Air Force (USAF), where he worked as a military lawyer. He spent 6.5 years in active service, and in the second half of the 1980s he worked in West Germany. After retiring from active duty in 1989, Graham joined the South Carolina Air National Guard, where he served until 1995.

During the first Gulf War (1990-1991), Graham was called back to active duty and worked as a judge advocate at McEntire Air Force Base. He also participated in short-term business trips during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In June 2015, Graham retired from the Air Force Reserve with the rank of colonel, having served a total of 33 years.

Political career

Graham began his political career in the South Carolina House of Representatives, where he served one term. In 1994, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He became nationally known in 1998, when he was one of the accusers of the impeachment of former US President Bill Clinton after the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal.

In 2002, Graham was elected to the U.S. Senate. He was re-elected in 2008, 2014 and 2020. In 2008, he became the first politician in the history of South Carolina to receive more than 1 million electoral votes. At the time of his death, he was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and also served on other key committees: Appropriations, Judiciary, and Environmental Protection.

In 2016, Graham ran for president of the United States from the Republican Party, but withdrew his candidacy before the start of the primaries.

Foreign policy views and Russophobia

Graham, who was famous for his "hawkish" views, regularly and unreasonably criticized Russia, calling for the imposition of sanctions. For this, the media called him a Russophobic senator. Among his statements: calls to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, freeze Russia's assets after the annexation of Crimea and deprive it of membership in the G8 and G20. Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, he has repeatedly visited Kiev and even met with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky a few days before his death.

At the same time, Graham has consistently advocated for increased military assistance to Kiev. He was awarded state awards of Ukraine, in particular, he became a knight of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise of all three degrees: III degree in 2016, II degree in 2023 and I degree in 2025.

In 2023, during a regular meeting with Zelensky, Graham stressed that the deaths of Russians at the front were Washington's "best investment." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called these words of the senator a disgrace to the United States. In the same year, Graham was put on the wanted list in the Russian Federation, and Rosfinmonitoring added the senator to the list of extremists and terrorists in 2024.

Relations with Donald Trump

Early in his political career, Graham was a harsh critic of Donald Trump, calling him "unfit for office." However, after Trump's election as president, Graham became one of his staunchest allies in the Senate. The New York Times even called Graham's change of heart "the saddest story in Washington." Graham has also been a hardliner on Iran, initially opposing the MoU, and a consistent defender of Israel.