Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Native American Senator Who Shaped Northern Colorado, Dead

Former U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell has died. Governor Jared Polis ordered flags at all public buildings in Colorado lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on the day of the service, which has not yet been announced.

Campbell's death marks the end of a career that reshaped Northern Colorado's public lands, federal institutions, and services for Native American and veteran communities.

Campbell served in the U.S. House from 1987–1993 and the U.S. Senate from 1993–2005, chairing the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and serving on the Senate Appropriations Committee. These positions gave him outsized influence over Indian Country, public lands, and veterans policy affecting Colorado.

"I was sad to hear of the passing of Senator Nighthorse Campbell," Polis said in a statement. "He was the only Native American in the United States Senate when he served, and also served the United States with distinction in the US Air Force. And he worked tirelessly to help build the National museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. He will be missed here in Colorado and across the country, and his contributions leave a lasting legacy to our state and nation."

Campbell's legislative fingerprints are visible across Larimer and Weld counties. He sponsored S.2181, the Rocky Mountain National Park Boundary Adjustment Act of 2004, which transferred federal land near MacGregor Ranch in Larimer County to Rocky Mountain National Park. He also sponsored S.2180, the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests Land Exchange Act of 2004, which became Public Law 108-346 and directed a land exchange affecting the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in the region.

In Weld County, the University of Northern Colorado named its Cancer Rehabilitation Institute the Ben Nighthorse Campbell Center after he helped secure the federal grant that built the 10,000-square-foot facility in Greeley.

Campbell's record shows sustained focus on Native American and public-lands issues. Of his 460 sponsored bills and 2,155 cosponsored measures, 169 focused on Native American issues and 165 on public lands.

Beyond the Front Range, Campbell's influence extended to national institutions. "Without him, the spectacular Museum of the American Indian that graces our National Mall would not have become a reality," Senator William H. Frist said.

Of his sponsored or cosponsored bills, 212 became law—a legacy still visible across Colorado.