Former Tennessee senator and Chinese ambassador Jim Sasser dies at 87

Former Democratic Tennessee Sen. Jim Sasser died of an apparent heart attack on Tuesday evening at the age of 87, his son Gray Sasser said Wednesday.

Jim Sasser, who served in the U.S. Senate for 18 years and as the U.S. Ambassador to China for six years, died at his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 

The former senator was first elected to the Senate in 1977, but was defeated by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Republican, in 1994. He was then appointed Chinese ambassador by former President Bill Clinton in 1995, and served in the role until 2001, according to the Associated Press.

Sasser's family claimed the former Tennessean was most proud of his "quiet accomplishments" like helping his constituents with disability claims and veteran benefits.

“He believed in the nobility of public service and the transformational power of government," Gray Sasser and his sister Elizabeth Sasser wrote in a statement. “As his friends and former staff will attest, Dad loved his family, the State of Tennessee, his years serving in the US Senate and old cars too, and loved them in that order.”

The former senator is survived by his two children, his wife Mary, and four grandchildren.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.