Dirk Kempthorne, the American politician who served as Idaho governor from 1999 to 2006 and as U.S.
secretary of the interior from 2006 to 2009, died on April 24, 2026, at age 74 of colon cancer. A Republican, he also served as a United States senator from Idaho from 1993 to 1999 and was Boise’s mayor from 1985 to 1992.
Born in San Diego on October 29, 1951, he was raised in San Bernardino, California, and graduated from the University of Idaho in 1975 with a degree in political science.
Dirk Kempthorne, 74, American politician, secretary of the interior (2006–2009) and governor of Idaho (1999–2006), colon cancer.