Dirk Kempthorne, former Idaho governor and U.S. Interior secretary, dies at 74
Dirk Kempthorne, the former Republican governor of Idaho and U.S. Interior Secretary under President George W. Bush, has died at age 74 following a colon cancer diagnosis last year. Kempthorne served as Idaho's governor from 1999 to 2006 before his appointment to the Interior Department, where he served until 2009.
Key Points
- Kempthorne was a prominent Republican figure who held major state and federal positions over a two-decade political career
- He was diagnosed with colon cancer in the previous year before his death
- His tenure as Interior Secretary covered significant energy and environmental policy decisions during the Bush administration