James Larson

James Paul Larson (May 18, 1971 – February 10, 2014) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the U.S. Senator from the Great Lakes from 2011 until his death in 2014, during which time he served as the Senate president pro tempore. A member of the Democratic Party, Larson previously served as the U.S. Representative from District 4 from 2005 to 2011, serving as the 55th Speaker of the House for his final three years in that chamber. Larson is the first openly gay man to serve in either chamber of Congress, as well as the first openly gay man to serve as House speaker and president pro tempore.

After feeling symptoms for many months, Larson was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. He died from it in his Chicago home on February 10, 2014.