Trailblazing senator who switched from Democrat to Republican and competed at the Olympics dies aged 92
The motorcycle-riding, cowboy-boot-wearing politician was the first Native American to chair the Committee on Indian Affairs and the only indigenous senator during his tenure.
A pioneering Colorado senator who famously switched political parties and competed in the Olympics for the USA's judo team has died aged 92.
Ben Nighthorse Campbell, who served two Senate terms - 12 years - beginning in 1993, passed away on Tuesday from natural causes, his family confirmed.
The motorcycle-riding, cowboy boot-wearing politician was the first Native American to chair the Committee on Indian Affairs and the only indigenous senator during his tenure.
The father of two was one of just four Native Americans elected to the chamber in US history.
Campbell used his political platform to advocate for indigenous communities and children's rights, as well as to protect public land and defend organized labor.
While he undoubtedly had a vibrant and influential political career, Campbell - who also served three terms in the House of Representatives - was also an educator, athlete and US serviceman.
Campbell was born in Auburn, California, in 1933. His mother, Mary Vierra, was a Portuguese immigrant and his father, Albert Campbell, was a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe.
He left high school to serve in the US Air Force from 1951 to 1956, earning his GED during that time, according to The Colorado Sun. He was stationed in Korea.
Ben Nighthorse Campbell (pictured in 1995) passed away on Tuesday from natural causes
Campbell is pictured riding a motorcycle with his wife, Linda, at the annual Rolling Thunder parade in Washington DC in 2001, while he was still a senator
Campbell is seen leading the Native Nations Procession during the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian opening ceremony in DC in 2004
Following his stint in the armed services, he attended San Jose State College in California, receiving a degree in physical education in 1957.
In 1960, Campbell learned that judo would be included in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics - and was determined to compete.
'I sold every damn thing I owned and I moved to Tokyo,' he once told The Colorado Sun.
In Japan's capital city, he enrolled at Meiji University as a research student. He won a gold medal in judo at the Pan-American Games in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1963.
But he sustained an injury during the 1964 Olympics and did not place. He went on to coach the US National Judo Team.
Upon returning to the States, Campbell taught PE at a California school district. The school asked him to teach a judo class for other staff members, which is how he met his wife, Linda, in 1966.