Jim Sasser, a three-term U.S. Senator from Tennessee and former U.S. Ambassador to China, died Tuesday evening at his home in Chapel Hill, N.C., of an apparent heart attack. He was 87.
Sasser, a Democrat, represented Tennessee in the Senate from 1977 to 1995 and was the last Democrat to hold a U.S. Senate seat in the state. His defeat in 1994 marked a turning point in Tennessee politics, signaling the end of Democratic dominance in the Volunteer State.
Born in Memphis and raised in Nashville, Sasser graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1958 and Vanderbilt Law School in 1961. He began his political career as a Democratic activist, managing campaigns for prominent Tennessee politicians including then-Sen. Albert Gore Sr.
Sasser served as chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party from 1973 until 1976 when he successfully ran for the Senate, defeating Republican Bill Brock. During his 18 years in the Senate, Sasser rose through the ranks, serving as chairman of the powerful Budget Committee from 1989 to 1992.
Former Vice President Al Gore, who served alongside Sasser in the Senate, praised him as a man who “represented the best of Tennessee and the best of America.” Gore added, “He was an effective leader not simply because he spoke clearly and persuasively about the initiatives he believed in, but also because he listened intently to the concerns, hopes, and aspirations of his constituents and colleagues.”
After losing his Senate seat to political newcomer Bill Frist in 1994, Sasser was appointed Ambassador to China by President Bill Clinton, a position he held from 1996 to 2001. During his tenure, he navigated tense U.S.-China relations, including protests that erupted when the U.S. accidentally bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during the Kosovo War.
Throughout his career, Sasser remained committed to public service. “I’ve always viewed government as the friend of the ordinary people, and politics as being an interesting avocation and a way of effecting positive change,” he once said.
After retiring from public service, Sasser became a consultant and served as a fellow at Harvard University. He donated his congressional papers to Vanderbilt University in 2013.
Sasser’s children, Gray and Elizabeth, said in a statement, “He believed in the nobility of public service and the transformational power of government.” They added that he was proudest of his “quiet achievements” for ordinary Tennesseans, such as helping with disability claims or VA benefits.
Jim Sasser is survived by his wife, Mary, his children Gray and Elizabeth, and four grandchildren. His passing marks the end of an era in Tennessee politics, leaving behind a legacy of dedicated public service and bipartisan leadership.