Born in San Francisco , Feinstein graduated from Stanford University in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts in History . In the 1960s , she worked in city government , and she was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969 . She served as the board 's first female president in 1978 , during which time the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk by Dan White drew national attention . Feinstein succeeded Moscone as Mayor of San Francisco and became the first woman to assume the position . During her tenure , she led the renovation of the city 's cable car system , and oversaw the 1984 Democratic National Convention
assassinations
Moscone–Milk assassinations
Dianne Feinstein