Lindsey Graham was the garrulous son of South Carolina pool hall owners and he rose to become a prominent senator and fixture on the global stage. The high-energy Republican lawmaker was known for his Southern drawl, political flexibility and reliably hawkish stance on foreign policy. He first won election to Congress in 1994 and he ran for the White House in 2016 as a determined opponent of Donald Trump. Later, he became one of the new president’s staunchest allies. Graham died Saturday night after what his office called “a brief and sudden illness.” He was 71.

Lindsey Graham was the garrulous son of South Carolina pool hall owners and he rose to become a prominent senator and fixture on the global stage. The high-energy Republican lawmaker was known for his Southern drawl, political flexibility and reliably hawkish stance on foreign policy. He first won election to Congress in 1994 and he ran for the White House in 2016 as a determined opponent of Donald Trump. Later, he became one of the new president’s staunchest allies. Graham died Saturday night after what his office called “a brief and sudden illness.” He was 71.