Joseph Lieberman: A Capitol life in photos

By Chris Hale

Posted March 28, 2024 at 12:40pm

Former Connecticut Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman died on Wednesday at the age of 82.

Lieberman had a long career in the Senate, first arriving in 1989 as a Democrat. In 2000, as Al Gore’s running mate, Lieberman became the first Jewish vice presidential nominee of a major party. In the next cycle, he launched his own presidential bid, which he ended in February 2004 after failing to gain traction. His relationship with the party became complicated over the years. As he defended his continuing support for the Iraq War, he lost his Senate primary in 2006 but won reelection as an independent.

“In an era of political carbon copies, Joe Lieberman was a singularity. One of one,” his successor in the Senate, Christopher S. Murphy, wrote in a social media tribute after his death.

Here are some of our photos from Lieberman’s decades on Capitol Hill.

Lieberman is pictured on Sept. 26, 1996, with Nebraska Gov. Earl Benjamin Nelson, who would later join him in the Senate. (Rebecca Roth/CQ Roll Call)

Lieberman appears with Sen. Christopher Dodd, a fellow Connecticut Democrat, in the Hart Building on Sept. 13, 1993, for a promotional event for PBS. (Laura Patterson/CQ Roll Call)

Lieberman and his daughter Hana walk down the Capitol steps on April 24, 1997, during a “bring your daughter to work day.” (CQ Roll Call archive photo)

Lieberman is pictured during his acceptance speech for the vice presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles on Aug. 16, 2000. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Lieberman and his wife, Hadassah, wave to the crowd after his acceptance speech at the 2000 Democratic convention. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

After their unsuccessful campaign for the White House, Vice President Al Gore swears in Lieberman for the 107th Congress in the Old Senate Chamber on Jan. 3, 2001. Lieberman’s wife, Hadassah, is also pictured. (Scott J. Ferrell/CQ Roll Call)

Lieberman is seen on July 16, 2002, with then-Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., during a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Environment and Public Works committees. (Scott J. Ferrell/CQ Roll Call)

Lieberman is pictured at a news conference in the Capitol on Jan. 4, 2006. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call)

Lieberman leaves the stage at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., on Sept. 2, 2008. An independent by this point, Lieberman endorsed Republican John McCain for president. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Lieberman appears with Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and other senators at a news conference on May 12, 2010, introducing energy and climate change legislation. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Lieberman walks with California Sen. Dianne Feinstein through the Senate subway on Nov. 18, 2010. Feinstein died last year at the age of 90. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call)

Lieberman is pictured on Dec. 18, 2010, talking with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the Capitol. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Lieberman is pictured at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee markup with Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins on June 29, 2011. He was the panel’s chairman at the time. (Bill Clark/Roll Call)

Lieberman arrives at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on May 19, 2011. Also pictured are McCain, right, and the panel’s chairman, Michigan Democratic Sen. Carl Levin. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Lieberman confers with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham during a news conference in the Capitol on Feb. 29, 2012. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Lieberman and McCain speak during a news conference in the Capitol on Dec. 6, 2012. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call)

Lieberman, who by this time had already retired from the Senate, appears before the House Homeland Security Committee for a hearing on May 9, 2013, examining the Boston Marathon bombing. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Lieberman talks with reporters as he walks through the Senate subway on June 22, 2021. (Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call)

Hunter Biden, left, son of President Biden, speaks with Lieberman at the White House on July 7, 2022, during a Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)