Jim Sasser, who spent 18 years as a U.S. Senator and later served as the ambassador to China for six years, has passed away at the age of 87.
His son, Gray Sasser, said that Sasser died on Tuesday evening at his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, from an apparent heart attack.
Sasser, a Democrat, represented Tennessee in the Senate from 1977 to 1995. Afterward, President Bill Clinton appointed him as the ambassador to China, a role he held until 2001.
He first won his Senate seat in 1976 by defeating Republican Bill Brock. During his time in the Senate, he became the chairman of the budget committee from 1989 to 1992. Sasser had a chance to become Senate majority leader, but he lost his re-election in 1994 to Republican Bill Frist, a political newcomer at the time.
After his time as ambassador, Sasser became a consultant.
In a statement, his children, Gray and Elizabeth, said their father believed in the value of public service and the positive impact government could have. He was proud of the small ways he helped people, such as assisting Tennesseans with disability claims or veterans’ benefits.
Born in Memphis and raised in Nashville, Sasser graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1958 and from Vanderbilt Law School in 1961. He practiced law in Nashville and became involved in Democratic politics, managing Sen. Albert Gore Sr.’s unsuccessful campaign in 1970. Sasser later became chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party before winning his own Senate seat in 1976, defeating the same man who had unseated Gore.
Sasser was re-elected easily in 1982 and 1988 but lost to Frist in 1994. He was the last Democrat to represent Tennessee in the Senate.
After his Senate career, Sasser spent time as a fellow at Harvard University.
His children also said, “Dad loved his family, Tennessee, his time in the Senate, and old cars, in that order.”
Sasser is survived by his wife Mary and four grandchildren.