The former senator treated public service as a duty rather than a platform.
The former senator treated public service as a duty rather than a platform.
A merica has lost one of its finest public servants. On Wednesday night, former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl died at age 84, leaving behind a record of service that shaped Arizona, strengthened our country, and defended the freedoms of all Americans.
Senator Kyl represented Arizona in Congress for more than 26 years, serving first in the U.S. House and later in the Senate. He rose to become the Senate Republican whip, one of the key leadership positions in the U.S. Senate, where he was widely respected not only for his policy acumen, but also for conducting himself as a statesman. He never bent in his belief that elected officials should conduct themselves in a way that befits the public’s trust.
He was known as a serious lawmaker who mastered complicated issues and treated his service in Washington as a responsibility to the state he loved and called home for more than six decades. That approach was evident in his work on many of Arizona’s most difficult questions. Water policy became a central focus of his career. He was the chief architect of the landmark 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act, which ensured businesses, tech manufacturers, and homebuilders had the confidence to invest billions of dollars in a state with an unproven economic history. The result was record job growth and development, transforming Arizona’s economy.
Subsequently, Senator Kyl crafted the Arizona Water Settlements Act of 2004, the most comprehensive tribal water settlement in the state’s history. This measure resolved decades of competing water claims and ensured water allocations to commercial, tribal, and municipal sectors. This work required patience, policy expertise, and the ability to successfully negotiate with competing interests — traits which are often lacking in today’s policy discussions.
The senator’s work extended far beyond Arizona water policy, however. During his congressional career, he prioritized health-care deregulation, welfare reform, national defense, and, perhaps most importantly, tax relief. He was particularly appalled by the estate tax (or, as he referred to it, the “death” tax). Unlike many politicians, he recognized the inherent immorality of double-taxation: taxing individuals while they’re alive and then double-taxing their loved ones when they pass away, often resulting in the evisceration of family estates.
Even after completing more than a quarter century in Congress, Senator Kyl remained willing to serve the country. When Senator John McCain died in 2018, Kyl accepted an appointment to return to the Senate and represent Arizona during a difficult transition despite, in his own words, a desire to “slow down.”
Because of his efforts, he earned a lifetime rating of 96.6 percent from the American Conservative Union, making him one of the Senate’s most staunch and tireless advocates of free markets and limited government. Former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, who was a good friend of the senator, once called him a “workhorse” in a city often occupied by “showhorses.” The description captured a public official who exerted influence through diligence and preparation rather than personal attention.
I also had the good fortune of getting to know and work with Senator Kyl throughout my own career, including during my time working for Governor Ducey. He was always extremely generous with his counsel, which made me and countless others much better policy advocates.
His influence and friendship extended well into my current role as president of the Goldwater Institute — an organization for which he had a particular affinity. He was one of the Institute’s founding members, and he remained a trusted friend and adviser as the Institute grew from its Arizona roots into a national organization defending constitutional rights across the country. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Goldwater Institute would not be the organization it is today without Jon Kyl. His leadership helped establish the commitment to principle that has guided our work for nearly four decades.
Speaking at an event to mark the Institute’s 30th anniversary, Senator Kyl said Barry Goldwater’s legacy — and the Institute’s work — could be summed up in one word: freedom. Goldwater, he explained, wanted the ability to say, think, and act as he chose, and he wanted others to have and cherish those same liberties. Today, as we mourn the loss of a friend and mentor, those remarks offer a fitting capstone for reflecting on his own years in public service.
Jon Kyl never wavered in his belief that Americans should be unencumbered in the pursuit of their goals and free to live their lives without government interference. His career demonstrated what principled leadership can accomplish. He treated public office as a duty rather than a platform. His legacy will continue through the policies he helped to shape, the institutions he strengthened, and the freedom and success of the country he loved. We would all be well served to follow in his example.