‘A remarkable Idahoan’: Leaders pay tribute to Dirk Kempthorne in song, esteem
The late Dirk Kempthorne was remembered Friday by friends and peers as one of Idaho’s greatest public servants, an architect of its capital city and a person who made everyone he met feel seen.
Kempthorne, 74, died on April 24 after announcing last year a diagnosis of colon cancer. With his family on hand, including former first lady Patricia Kempthorne and their two adult children, he was honored at the Idaho Capitol, where his casket will lie in state until Saturday morning.
“Today, we honor a remarkable Idahoan, an extraordinary public servant and a dear friend,” Gov. Brad Little told the hundreds amassed at the Capitol Rotunda from prepared remarks. “He was warm, approachable, thoughtful and genuinely kind. He made others feel valuable.
“Idaho is better because Dirk Kempthorne chose to serve.”
As flags across the state remained at half-staff, Kempthorne’s casket arrived to the Capitol in a cream-white hearse escorted by a motorcade made up of Idaho State Police and Boise police officers. Members of the Idaho Military Museum fired a 19-gun salute heard throughout Boise from cannons on the Capitol grounds, and a pair of Idaho Air National Guard A-10 Thunderbolts performed a flyover in the cloudless blue sky.
Kempthorne, the state’s 30th governor, first served as mayor of Boise, before a term in the U.S. Senate and later as the U.S. secretary of the Interior under President George W. Bush. But it was his role as Idaho’s commander in chief that Kempthorne cherished most, said Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane, who emceed the traditional ceremony for former Idaho governors after they pass away.
“It is a rare tribute reserved for those individuals who truly shape our civic life,” McGrane said. “Today, we are gathering as citizens, as Idahoans to honor Dirk Kempthorne’s service to our city, to our state and to our nation.”
Others who spoke included former Govs. Butch Otter and Jim Risch, former state Sen. Chuck Winder, and retired Maj. Gen. Gary Sayler, former commander of the Idaho National Guard. An eight-member choir sang “Eagles Wings,” former state Sen. Cherie Buckner-Webb performed “Amazing Grace” and members of the 25th Army Band led attendees in the state song, “Here We Have Idaho.”
Little said it was obvious even back in college, where he and first lady Teresa Little first met Dirk Kempthorne and Patricia as classmates at the University of Idaho, that his friend was destined to lead.
“Even then it was clear Dirk had a heart for public service,” Little said. “His legacy lives on, not only in the offices he held or the projects he championed, but in the example he set — an example of humility, optimism and servant leadership.”
Kempthorne’s funeral will take place on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise, followed by an internment ceremony at 2:30 p.m. at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery. A celebration of life will take place in Washington, D.C., at a later date.
This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 1:24 PM.
