J. Stanley Kimmett, 86; Secretary of Senate, Political Consultant
J. Stanley Kimmett, 86, a former secretary of the U.S. Senate, collapsed and died Tuesday at a hotel in Washington, D.C., where he was attending a Democratic Leadership Council reception for retiring Sen. John Breaux (D-La.). The cause of death was being investigated by the District of Columbia medical examiner’s office.
Kimmett served as secretary of the Senate, the body’s top officer, from 1977 to 1981. Before that, he spent 11 years as secretary for the majority when Sen. Mike Mansfield (D-Mont.) was the majority leader.
He went on to represent Hughes Helicopter, McDonnell Douglas Helicopter and Boeing Co. in Washington before founding a political consulting firm in 1991.
Kimmett was born in Lewiston, Mont. He met Mansfield, then a professor, while he was a student at the University of Montana. Kimmett served in the Army in Europe during World War II, and was an artillery officer during the Korean War. After earning his bachelor’s degree from Utah State University, he served in the Army in Europe. He retired from the service in 1966 as a colonel.
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