Steven Douglas Symms (April 23, 1938 – August 8, 2024) was an American politician and lobbyist who served as a four-term congressman (1973–1981) and two-term U.S.

He studied horticulture[5] at the University of Idaho in Moscow, where he was a reserve center on the football team[6] and was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity.

[14] The four "no" votes came from four Republican senators: Symms, Jesse Helms of North Carolina, Barry Goldwater of Arizona, and Chic Hecht of Nevada.

[16] According to Salon magazine, during Symms's time in Washington, he "gained something of a sexual legend over his eight years in the House that grew larger once he was in the Senate; it was widely known among reporters that he was a big-time D.C. party animal and could be seen most evenings in the company of a woman other than his wife, Fran.

However, when Fran finally had enough and divorced him, the emergent details of his philandering – and the ensuing shelled-out poll numbers – persuaded him to not pursue reelection in 1992.

[20] Symms chose not to seek a third term in 1992 and was succeeded by the Republican mayor of Boise, Dirk Kempthorne, a future two-term Idaho governor and United States Secretary of the Interior.

[2] Prior to his senior year at the University of Idaho, Symms married Frances E. "Fran" Stockdale of Helena, Montana,[24] in August 1959.

[27] Although Symms declined to comment on the reason for the divorce,[28] he was dogged by rumors of infidelity during his 1980s campaigns, claims which were eventually substantiated by his former wife.