US SR585

Senate resolution honoring former Colorado Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (born April 13, 1933), who served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War (1951-1953) and was the first Native American to compete on the U.S. Olympic judo team at the 1964 Summer Olympics

Campbell served in the U.S. House of Representatives starting in 1986 and the U.S. Senate from 1993, becoming the first and only American Indian to chair the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (1997-2005)

During the 105th Congress, Campbell passed more legislation than any other Senator, including establishing the National Museum of the American Indian, elevating Black Canyon of the Gunnison to a national park, and creating the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site

Campbell was a member of the Council of 44 Chiefs of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and one of few enrolled members of a federally recognized Tribe to serve in Congress

Resolution submitted January 15, 2026 with bipartisan support from 99 co-sponsors, expressing sorrow at his death and directing transmission of an enrolled copy to his family