Senator Jesse Helms Funeral A funeral service was held at Hayes Barton Baptist Church for former United States Senator Jesse Helms, who died on Friday, July 4, 2008 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Eulogies were given by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator Helms’s former Chief of Staff Jimmy Broughton, and Jennifer Knox and Mike Stewart, two of Senator Helms' grandchildren. Senator McConnell told of Senator Helms' kindness and said, “He put duty above all else - duty to God, to country, to family...the simple duty of treating other people well.” Senator Helms began his career in radio, television, and newspapers, and served in the Senate from 1973-2003, chairing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1995-2001. close