San Francisco Mourns Pioneering Senator Dianne Feinstein: See the Powerful Photos

Cherished colleagues, the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus and lines of civilians have taken part in a days-long tribute to one of California's fiercest fighters

Mourners are gathered this week to honor the late California Sen. Dianne Feinstein following her death on Sept. 28 at the age of 90.

The history-making Democrat is best known for her thirty-year tenure in the United States Senate, but before opening doors for women on Capitol Hill, she was an inspirational fixture in her hometown of San Francisco.

On Wednesday, crowds gathered at San Francisco City Hall — the birthplace of Feinstein's public career — to see her lie in state. On Thursday, prominent Democratic colleagues assembled outside City Hall for her memorial service to share words of tribute to the political giant.

Here, the most powerful photos out of San Francisco so far, as California says goodbye.

Feinstein's Body Arrives at San Francisco International Airport

Feinstein died of natural causes in her Washington, D.C. home last week, hours after casting a vote on the Senate floor to try and avert a government shutdown.

Her daughter Katherine Feinstein, longtime friend Nancy Pelosi, and chief of staff James Sauls flew her body home to San Francisco on Sept. 30.

In addition to those on board the flight, Feinstein's casket was greeted on the tarmac by her son-in-law Rick Mariano, granddaughter Eileen Mariano, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

City Hall Honors Feinstein's Career

For Feinstein's 50-plus years in public service, trucks from the San Francisco Fire Department framed City Hall with a large United States flag ahead of her casket's arrival on Wednesday morning.

Related: Dianne Feinstein's Life and Career in Photos

A Stately Welcome

Feinstein gets a warm greeting as her body arrives at San Francisco City Hall on Wednesday morning. Her casket, pictured here in a hearse, is adorned with a U.S. flag.

Katherine Feinstein and Husband Greet the Casket

Son-in-law Rick Mariano and daughter Katherine Feinstein put their right hands over their hearts as Feinstein's casket is brought from the hearse up the steps of City Hall.

Forty-five years ago, Feinstein — then the city's first female board president — stood on the same grounds, announcing the assassinations of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. As the mayor's designated successor, she became in an instant the most powerful woman in San Francisco history, tasked with picking up the pieces of a city in mourning.

Related: How the Assassination of Harvey Milk Put Dianne Feinstein in the National Spotlight

The Pelosis and Feinsteins Come Together

The Pelosi family showed their support for the Feinsteins on Wednesday, approaching the casket with a few of the late senator's surviving relatives and even shedding smiles in each other's company.

Feinstein's daughter, Katherine Feinstein (third from left), is flanked by Paul and Nancy Pelosi on the left and the Pelosis' daughter, Nancy Corrine Prowda, on the immediate right.

One Last Embrace

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi smiles and hugs Feinstein's casket as she lies in state at the City Hall on Wednesday.

In an essay for San Francisco Chronicle published Thursday, Pelosi wrote about her "beautiful friendship" with the fellow San Francisco native, calling her an "iconic, indomitable leader" who made her hometown and state proud throughout her career.

Related: Friends and Colleagues Pay Tribute to Late Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Trailblazer Among Democrats

The Gay Men's Chorus Echoes Through the Rotunda

The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus performs for family and friends of late Sen. Dianne Feinstein as she lies in state at City Hall on Wednesday.

Feinstein was the mayor of San Francisco during the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, making a commitment to support the LGBTQ+ community early on in her career.

"As mayor, her love for her fellow San Franciscans was extraordinary," Pelosi wrote of Feinstein in her essay for the Chronicle. "In the depths of the HIV/AIDS crisis, as many of us were going to two funerals a day, she led our city with compassion and care while defending the health and dignity of our LGBTQ+ neighbors."

On Capitol Hill, Feinstein was one of only 14 senators to vote against the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which legally defined marriage as between a man and woman.

She worked through the years to repeal DOMA, introducing a counter-bill in 2011 that ultimately failed. In 2022, aiming to enshrine same-sex marriage protections into federal law, Feinstein became the lead Senate sponsor on the Respect for Marriage Act, which successfully repealed the discriminatory 1996 marriage law.

Mourners Show Up in Droves

Lines continued to wind through City Hall late on Wednesday afternoon, as members of the public waited to pay their respects to the storied San Francisco lawmaker.

Writing Letters

Mourners had the opportunity to write letters to the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein at City Hall on Wednesday, thanking her for her service and sharing stories of what her career meant to them.

Above, mourner Gail Hills writes a note, later telling The Washington Post: "Senator Feinstein Helped this city and the country. She never forgot about us."

Day One Concludes with an Emotional Sendoff

After a long first day of memorial proceedings, Feinstein's loved ones wait outside City Hall for the senator's casket to be transported to a funeral home.

Pictured above are Nancy Pelosi (right), her daughter Christine Pelosi (center), and Feinstein's granddaughter Eileen Mariano (left).

Day 2: The Memorial Service

A memorial service for Sen. Dianne Feinstein began on Thursday afternoon against the backdrop of San Francisco City Hall — where her career took off as a city supervisor and, eventually, the mayor from 1978 to 1988.

Vice President Harris Returns Home

Vice President Kamala Harris, another barrier-breaking alum of San Francisco politics — she served as district attorney from 2004 to 2011 — speaks at the memorial service for Sen. Feinstein on Thursday afternoon.

Harris served as a California senator alongside Feinstein from 2017 to 2021.

Senate Leader Delivers Remarks

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York who joined the Senate six years after Feinstein, also delivered remarks at the memorial service on Thursday afternoon.

Last week he told stories about Feinstein on the Senate floor, later writing on X: "Senator Dianne Feinstein was in a class of her own. Powerful. Poised. Unflappable. She had to be: whenever she did something, she was often the first to do it."

"She didn’t just push down doors that were closed for women," he continued in the post, "she held them open for generations of women to follow."

Words from a Friend

California Rep. Nancy Pelosi had a chance to offer more formal remarks about her former friend and colleague on Thursday, taking the stage at her memorial service and breaking a smile in spite of her grief.

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