CAMPBELL, Ben Nighthorse, A Representative and a Senator from Colorado; born in Auburn, Calif., April 13, 1933; attended public schools; B.A., California State University at San Jose 1957; attended Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan 1960-1964; served in U.S. Air Force in Korea 1951-1954; member of the United States Olympic Team in 1964; jewelry designer; rancher; served in Colorado State Legislature 1983-1986; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundredth and to the two succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1987-January 3, 1993); was not a candidate for reelection to the House of Representatives in 1992, but was elected to the United States Senate in 1992; reelected in 1998 and served from January 3, 1993, to January 3, 2005; changed from the Democratic to the Republican party in 1995; chair, Committee on Indian Affairs (One Hundred Fifth and One Hundred Sixth Congresses, One Hundred Seventh Congress [January 20, 2001-June 6, 2001] One Hundred Eighth Congress); was not a candidate for reelection in 2004; resided on his ranch on the Southern Ute Reservation near Ignacio, Colo., until his death on December 30, 2025.
View Record in the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
[ Top ]Viola, Herman J. Ben Nighthorse Campbell: An American Warrior. New York: Orion Books, 1993; reprinted by Johnson Books (Boulder, Colo.), 2002.
U.S. Congress. Tributes Delivered in Congress: Ben Nighthorse Campbell, United States Congressman, 1987-1993, United States Senator, 1993-2005. Washington: Government Printing Office, 2005.
