Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel, Known for Reading Pentagon Papers into Record, Dies at 91

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Former United States Senator Mike Gravel, best known for reading portions of the Pentagon Papers into record in and his two bids for President, has died. He was 91.

The Gravel Institute confirmed the Alaskan Democrat's death Sunday on Twitter. According to the statement, Gravel was surrounded by loved ones at the time.

"We are sad to announce that Senator Mike Gravel passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, at his home in Seaside, California," the organization stated. "He was 91, and had lived the fullest live (sic) anyone could have ever wanted. We will miss him every day."

Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1930, Gravel served in the U.S. Army and graduated from Columbia University in the 1950s before entering the Alaska House of Representatives in 1963, according to his website. He was named Speaker of the house in 1965 before departing in 1966.

Two years later, Gravel was elected to Congress. He served as a senator from 1969 to 1981.

The former senator rose to fame in 1971 by reading portions of the Pentagon Papers, an assortment of leaked top-secret documents regarding the Vietnam War, into Congressional record with the goal of ending the war.

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In September of that year, a deal was reached with the Richard Nixon administration to allow the draft to expire in 1973, thanks to the one-man filibuster Gravel began in May.

Gravel also launched two unsuccessful bids for President in the new millennium. His first attempt came in 2006 when then-Illinois senator Barack Obama earned the Democratic nomination. He failed to gain traction in 2019, too, before endorsing Vermont senator Bernie Sanders for the candidacy.

In addition to The Gravel Institute, the former senator both founded and chaired a nonprofit called Democracy Foundation.