119th CONGRESS 2d Session |
Honoring the life, achievements, and legacy of Ben Nighthorse Campbell.
January 15, 2026
Mr. Bennet (for himself, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Thune, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Alsobrooks, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Banks, Mr. Barrasso, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. Booker, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Budd, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cassidy, Ms. Collins, Mr. Coons, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Daines, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Fetterman, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Gallego, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Hagerty, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Hawley, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Husted, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Justice, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kim, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Lee, Mr. Luján, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Markey, Mr. Marshall, Mr. McConnell, Mr. McCormick, Mr. Merkley, Mrs. Moody, Mr. Moran, Mr. Moreno, Mr. Mullin, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Paul, Mr. Peters, Mr. Reed, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Risch, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Sheehy, Ms. Slotkin, Ms. Smith, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Tuberville, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Warner, Mr. Warnock, Ms. Warren, Mr. Welch, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Young) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
Honoring the life, achievements, and legacy of Ben Nighthorse Campbell.
Whereas Ben Nighthorse Campbell was born on April 13, 1933, in Auburn, California;
Whereas Ben Nighthorse Campbell joined the United States Air Force in 1951 and was stationed in Korea during the Korean War, serving as an air policeman;
Whereas Ben Nighthorse Campbell left the United States Air Force in 1953 with the rank of Airman Second Class and was awarded the Korean Service Medal and the Air Medal;
Whereas Ben Nighthorse Campbell went on to graduate from university and excel in judo, winning 3 national titles in the United States, competing in the 1963 Pan-American Games, and representing the United States on a global stage during the 1964 Summer Olympics, where he was the first Native American to ever compete on the United States Olympic judo team;
Whereas Ben Nighthorse Campbell and his wife, Linda, moved to her home State of Colorado and went on to buy a ranch near Ignacio on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation;
Whereas Ben Nighthorse Campbell learned how to fashion jewelry from his father, going on to create internationally award-winning jewelry and founding Nighthorse Jewelry, a successful family business that spans 3 generations of craftsmanship;
Whereas Ben Nighthorse Campbell was elected to the Colorado State Legislature, where he served for 4 years and was voted one of the 10 best legislators by his colleagues;
Whereas Ben Nighthorse Campbell was then elected to the House of Representatives in 1986, becoming one of the few enrolled members of a federally recognized Tribe to serve in the United States Congress;
Whereas, during his tenure in the House of Representatives, Ben Nighthorse Campbell authored landmark legislation to establish the National Museum of the American Indian, honoring the legacy of American indigenous communities;
Whereas Ben Nighthorse Campbell also authored legislation elevating Black Canyon of the Gunnison to a national park, creating the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, and passed the Animas-La Plata water projects for the Southern Ute Indian and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes;
Whereas Ben Nighthorse Campbell was then elected to the Senate in 1993, serving as the chair of the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate between 1997 and 2005;
Whereas, during the 105th Congress, Ben Nighthorse Campbell passed more legislation than any other Member of the Senate;
Whereas Ben Nighthorse Campbell was the first and only American Indian to chair the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate and was a member of the Council of 44 Chiefs of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe; and
Whereas Ben Nighthorse Campbell was a trailblazer who championed bipartisan action and dedicated his entire life in service of his community, the people of Colorado, and the United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
(1) has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of Ben Nighthorse Campbell, former Senator from Colorado;
(2) honors the life, achievements, and legacy of Ben Nighthorse Campbell for—
(A) his service to his country in the United States Air Force; and
(B) his exceptional tenure as a Member of both the Senate and the House of Representatives;
(3) respectfully requests the Secretary of the Senate to—
(A) communicate this resolution to the House of Representatives; and
(B) transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of Ben Nighthorse Campbell; and
(4) stands in recess as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Ben Nighthorse Campbell when the Senate recesses today.