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Dirk Kempthorne, Former Idaho Governor and Interior Secretary, Dies at 74

In 2008, he placed the polar bear under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, but said it would be “wholly inappropriate” for environmentalists to use the designation as a tool to...

NYTIMES 입력 2026.04.29 10:54 0

Dirk Kempthorne, Former Idaho Governor and Interior Secretary, Dies at 74

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Dirk Kempthorne, Former Idaho Governor and Interior Secretary, Dies at 74

A Republican, Mr. Kempthorne rose to prominence as the mayor of Boise in the late 1980s and early ’90s, as the city became a haven for outdoor enthusiasts.

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Dirk Kempthorne testifying in 2008. Before his tenure as interior secretary, he was elected as the governor of Idaho in 1998 and remained in office until 2006.

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Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times

Hannah Ziegler

April 28, 2026,

9:53 p.m. ET

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Dirk Kempthorne, the personable former governor of Idaho who later served as President George W. Bush’s second interior secretary, died on Friday in Boise. He was 74.

His family confirmed his death in a

statement

, but did not specify a cause. He said last year that he was undergoing chemotherapy for colon cancer.

Mr. Kempthorne, a Republican, rose to political prominence as the mayor of Boise in the late 1980s and early ’90s, backing a plan for parkland along the Boise River that later cemented the city as a haven for cyclists, runners and pedestrians.

While he frequently cruised around Idaho in a recreational vehicle or on his motorcycle, and was “an ardent user of the wide-open spaces himself,” Mr. Kempthorne was viewed as an interior secretary choice who prioritized compromise and the middle ground, The New York Times

wrote

in 2006. Environmentalists often criticized him as being overly friendly with the oil and gas industry.

Dirk Arthur Kempthorne was born on Oct. 29, 1951, in San Diego. He was raised in San Bernardino, Calif., and attended San Bernardino Valley College before transferring to and graduating from the University of Idaho. Before he became Boise’s mayor in 1985, he worked at the Idaho Department of Lands and the Idaho Home Builders Association.

In 1992, he was elected to the Senate, where he served for a single term. His votes often drew criticism from environmental activists, who said he frequently favored changing laws like the Endangered Species Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act to appeal more to commercial interests.

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