Church, Frank (1924–1984)

Democratic senator from Idaho who played a key role in civil rights legislation, the anti–Vietnam War movement, welfare for the elderly, and wilderness preservation. By opposing gun control legislation, supporting local agricultural interests, and fighting efforts by southwestern states to export Idaho's water, Church's liberal foreign policy position was not a serious limitation to his election as senator of a conservative state for four terms. Church also favored legislation in the area of environmental protection. He played a major role in the passage of federal legislation that created the National Wilderness System in 1964 and in the creation of Idaho's River of No Return Wilderness in 1980.

Church enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 and served as a military intelligence officer in China, Burma, and India. Discharged in 1946, he returned to Stanford University to complete his degree. Soon after, Church was diagnosed with cancer and was told that he had one year to live. He defeated the cancer, however, and this second chance led him to later reflect that “the only way to live is by taking great chances.” In 1950, Church graduated from Stanford Law School and returned to Boise, Idaho, to practice law.

After returning to Boise, Church became an active Democrat in Idaho. He made an unsuccessful bid for the state legislature in 1952 but then won a U.S. Senate seat in 1956, becoming, at age 32, the fifth-youngest member to sit in the U.S. Senate.

In 1959, Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Church to the Foreign Relations Committee. A year later, in 1960, Church received additional national exposure when he gave the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention. In 1962, he became the first Democratic senator in Idaho history to win a second term in office.

Despite his vocal opposition to the Vietnam War, Church was reelected to the Senate in 1968. In 1970, he coauthored the Cooper-Church Amendment, which prohibited President Richard Nixon from sending troops or advisers to Cambodia without the consent of Congress. The amendment passed in the Senate, but the House rejected it. The Cooper-Church Amendment was the first limitation on presidential power during a war situation. Church also sponsored an amendment to prohibit the use of U.S. ground troops in Laos and Thailand.

In the spring of 1976, Church sought the Democratic nomination for president. After winning primaries in Nebraska, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana, he withdraw in favor of Jimmy Carter. In 1979, Church was appointed chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he led the debate for the ratification of the Panama Canal Treaty. He lost reelection for a fifth term in 1980 by less than 1% of the votes in Idaho. After his defeat, Church practiced international law in Washington, DC, specializing in Asian issues. Church died of cancer at his home in Bethesda, Maryland, on April 7, 1984.