Photo: Mike Kepka/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty
James Hormel, the United States' first openly gay ambassador, has died. He was 88.
On Friday, Hormel died at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, theSan Francisco Chroniclereported.
He died with his husband Michael at his side while he listened to his favorite Beethoven concerto, the outlet added. A cause of death has not been revealed.
Born in Minnesota on Jan. 1, 1933, Hormel went on to study at Swarthmore College in 1955 before earning a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School in 1958, according to hisofficial biographyfrom the U.S. State Department.
Mario Tama/AFP via Getty
Hormel then served as an alternate representative to the U.S. delegation to the 51st United Nations General Assembly, and he was also a member of the U.S. Delegation to the 51st U.N. Human Rights Commission, which met in 1995 in Geneva, Switzerland.
In 1997, former PresidentBill Clintonnominated Hormel to become U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg, though he wasn’t confirmed at the time,The Hillreported, due to Republican pushback. Two years later, however, Clinton, 74, would go on to appoint him in the role amid a Congressional recess, which he held until 2001.
Want to get the biggest stories fromPEOPLEevery weekday?Subscribe to our new podcast,PEOPLE Every Day,to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.
Alongside his political positions, Hormel also co-founded theHuman Rights Campaignand helped to fund many ventures surrounding arts, education, and human rights.
“Jim devoted his life to advancing the rights and dignity of all people, and in his trailblazing service in the diplomatic corps, he represented the United States with honor and brought us closer to living out the meaning of a more perfect union,” the Clintons said in a joint statement, according to theChronicle.
Pelosi, 81, who officiated Hormel’s wedding to his husband,saidthat he “made it his mission to fight for dignity and equality for all,” adding, “Jim’s extraordinary life will always serve as a beacon of hope and promise for LGBTQ children across our country and around the world.”
source: people.com
