The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

James C. Hormel, first openly gay U.S. ambassador, dies at 88

By
August 17, 2021 at 6:26 p.m. EDT
James C. Hormel with friends and family after being sworn in as U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg in 1999. (Mario Tama/AFP/Getty Images)
correction

An earlier version of this obituary incorrectly said that Rep. Nancy Pelosi was House speaker when she officiated at Mr. Hormel’s wedding. She was House minority leader at the time. The article has been corrected.

James C. Hormel, who became the first openly gay U.S. ambassador in 1999 after his nomination was blocked for nearly two years by conservative senators, triggering a long political battle over gay rights, presidential nominations and Senate procedures, died Aug. 13 at a San Francisco hospital. He was 88.

The death was announced by Human Rights Campaign, the gay rights advocacy organization that Mr. Hormel helped found in the early 1980s. The cause was not disclosed.