California Sen. Dianne Feinstein died Thu. at her home in Washington DC. She was 90 years old. (CNN)

Feinstein was the oldest-serving member of the U.S. Senate and the longest-serving woman senator in U.S. history. (CNN)

Feinstein's chief of staff James Sauls said in a statement Fri.: "She left a legacy that is undeniable and extraordinary."

Feinstein got her start in politics in 1969 after her election to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. (AP)

Feinstein rose to national prominence in 1978 after the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and Harvey Milk.

Feinstein succeeded Moscone as mayor of San Francisco, becoming the city's first woman mayor. (AP)

In 1992, Feinstein launched a bid for the Senate in a special election to fill outgoing GOP Sen. Pete Wilson's seat. (AP)

Feinstein prevailed: she won the 1992 special election by 16.3 points, becoming the state's first woman senator. (CNN)

That's not all: Feinstein also made history as the U.S.'s first Jewish woman to be elected to the Senate. (Axios)

Feinstein introduced several pieces of legislation in the Senate, including the nation's first assault weapons ban.

The ban, enacted as part of the 1994 crime bill, prohibited more than a dozen semiautomatic assault weapons nationwide.

Feinstein was also a lifelong advocate for the LGBTQ community: in 2011, she introduced a bill to overturn DOMA. (AP)

In 2022, Feinstein cosponsored the Respect for Marriage Act, which enshrined same-sex marriage rights nationwide. (AP)

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer: "Today, we grieve. We look at that desk and we know what we have lost."

Schumer: "She's a legend. A legend in California as the first woman senator. A legend in the Senate. She was a leader..."