Former Sen. Jon Kyl, a respected Republican lawmaker who represented Arizona for decades, has died at age 84.
Kyl had a long, influential career in public service. He was one of Arizona’s highest-ranking lawmakers on Capitol Hill and earned a reputation as a conservative workhorse.
Kyl's Senate career spanned a turbulent time in American history, including former President Bill Clinton’s 1999 Senate impeachment trial, the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the 2008 financial crash.
The longtime Arizona political figure stepped back from public life in late 2025 after being diagnosed with dementia.
His family announced his death in a written statement on Sept. 17, saying his death was from complications from a neurological
disease. Memorial services will be announced later, they said.
“We know that Jon belonged to all of Arizona, a state he loved and explored with vigor, curiosity, and wonder. Serving his state and nation in Congress was a privilege and responsibility he honored and respected,” the Kyl family said. “We are grateful, too, for his full and meaningful family life, guided by his faith and endowed with honor, warmth, and love.”
Here’s what to know about Kyl and his decades-long career representing Arizona in Washington, D.C.
How long was Jon Kyl in Congress?
Kyl was sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1987, during the Ronald Reagan presidency, and served four terms in that chamber.
He was elected to the Senate in 1994 and served three terms, from 1995 to 2013.
Years after he retired, Kyl made an unexpected return to the Senate after Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, died from brain cancer in 2018.
Kyl filled McCain’s seat for four months at the request of then-Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican who has said he considered Kyl a mentor.
What big issues did Jon Kyl focus on in Washington?
Kyl sat on the powerful Senate Finance and Judiciary committees, where he influenced tax issues and judicial nominations.
He rose to the role of Senate minority whip in 2007, making him the highest-ranking Arizonan on Capitol Hill since Rep. John Rhodes was House Republican leader from 1973 to 1981.
Kyl, an attorney who specialized in water law, helped to negotiate and facilitate several landmark Indian water-rights settlements, including the historic Arizona Water Settlements Act that former President George W. Bush signed into law in 2004.
In his retirement speech in 2012, Kyl said he was deeply proud of legislative accomplishments including tax relief, welfare reform, missile defense and nuclear policy, and issues of importance to Arizona.
Kyl also used his deep knowledge of the Senate to help several high-ranking officials navigate Washington during President Donald Trump's first term.
He served as the “sherpa” who helped Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh move through the Senate confirmation process when Trump nominated Kavanaugh to serve on the court.
When he briefly returned to the Senate in 2018, Kyl voted to confirm Kavanaugh to the bench.
Kyl performed the same role in 2017 for then-Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, whom Trump had nominated to be attorney general.
Who did Jon Kyl serve alongside in the Senate?
Kyl served in the Senate alongside McCain, who ran for president twice and was a major national figure in the GOP.
Kyl was fiercely loyal to McCain and worked hard on McCain’s 2008 presidential and 2010 reelection campaigns.Kyl was Arizona's junior senator for his entire Senate tenure. But McCain, Arizona's long-serving senior senator, dismissed the formal distinction.
"I've served one term more than Jon and for that minor accomplishment I'm referred to as the senior senator from Arizona," McCain said on the Senate floor in 2012 upon Kyl's retirement. "But, honestly, I've always looked up to Jon as my senior. He's been my leader, my senior partner in much of the work we've done in Arizona, my friend, and one of the people I most look up to in this place. An example of selfless, capable, honorable public service."
When Kyl briefly filled McCain’s vacant seat, he served alongside former Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, who praised Kyl in a Sept. 17 message on X.
"Arizona has lost a giant. Jon Kyl was one of the most diligent and effective public servants Arizona has ever had," Flake wrote. "I was honored to follow him in the U.S. Senate, where his example of seriousness, integrity and devotion to public service was known to all."
What did Jon Kyl do after he retired from the Senate?
Kyl continued working on water issues after he retired from the Senate through The Kyl Center for Water Policy at Morrison Institute, which was established in 2014.
It is named for Kyl, a leader in water law and policy. The center is part of Arizona State University and is focused on promoting water stewardship for Arizona and the West.
What was Jon Kyl's background?
Kyl was born in Oakland, Nebraska, and grew up in Iowa, where his father was a member of Congress.
Kyl came to Arizona at age 18 to attend the University of Arizona in Tucson. That’s where he met his wife, Caryll Kyl. She worked as a nurse to support Kyl through law school.
The couple later moved to Phoenix to raise their children. Kyl was admitted to the Arizona State Bar in 1966 and practiced law with Jennings, Strouss and Salmon in Phoenix from 1966 to 1986.
"Sen. Kyl dedicated decades of his life to public service, and his record on national security and water policy left Arizona and the nation better than he found them," UA President Suresh Garimella said in a Sept. 17 statement. "It is especially meaningful to us that his legacy continues at this university through the Kyl Institute for National Security, where his commitment to responsible governance lives on in the work of our students and researchers."
How many children did Jon Kyl have?
Kyl had two adult children, a son and a daughter. He also had four grandchildren.
What was Jon Kyl's medical diagnosis?
Kyl was diagnosed with dementia and stepped back from public life in late 2025.
“The time has come for me to withdraw from public life. I have been diagnosed with a neurological disease manifesting as dementia,” Kyl said in a statement on Dec. 30, 2025.
What did Jon Kyl say about his dementia diagnosis?
In a written statement before he died, Kyl quoted the late President Ronald Reagan’s letter announcing his own Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 1994.
Reagan said he was headed into the “sunset of my life” and “that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.”
“I share Reagan’s confidence about the future, for the country and for our state,” Kyl said. "I am also comforted by knowing that my Redeemer lives. We will not be walking this path alone."
Stephanie Murray covers national politics and the Trump administration for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. She co-hosts “The Gaggle,” The Republic’s weekly politics podcast. Reach her at stephanie.murray@usatodayco.com, on X and TikTok @stephanie_murr and on Instagram @stephaniemurray.news.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who was Jon Kyl? What to know about late longtime senator from Arizona
