Herbert Kohl (senator)
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- This article refers to Sen. Herbert Kohl (D-WI). For the article about Herbert Kohl, the educator and author, see Herbert Kohl (education).
| Herb Kohl | |
| | |
| 1989–Present | |
| Political party: | Democratic |
|---|---|
| Preceded by: | William Proxmire |
| Succeeded by: | Incumbent (2013) |
| Born: | February 7, 1935 Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Spouse: | none |
| Religion: | Judaism |
Herbert H. Kohl (born February 7, 1935) is an American politician and the senior senator from the state of Wisconsin. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Contents |
[edit] Personal life
Senator Kohl was born to Jewish parents in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1956, and a master's degree in business administration from Harvard University in 1958. He served in the United States Army Reserve between 1958 and 1964. He served as the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin between 1975 and 1977. He has served in the United States Senate since his election in 1988. He was reelected in 1994, 2000 and 2006.
Before his election to the Senate, Kohl helped build his family-owned business, Kohl's grocery and department stores. He served as President from 1970 through the sale of the corporation in 1979. Kohl is currently the richest U.S. senator with an estimated net worth between $219,098,029 to $234,549,004,<ref>Millionaires populate U.S. Senate.</ref> while he could have a net worth of $279 million.<ref>2004-05 NBA salary report: Owners worth billions.</ref> This has inspired his use of the catchphrase "Nobody's Senator but yours" on campaign commercials, implying that he is immune to bribery, whereas other senators may not be.
Kohl is recognized as an avid sportsman. In 1985 he bought the Milwaukee Bucks NBA team to ensure the basketball team remained in Milwaukee. Kohl also donated $25 million to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for construction of their new arena, which was named the Kohl Center. It was the largest single donation in University of Wisconsin System history.
[edit] United States Senate
Senator Kohl remains active in Wisconsin charitable activities. In 1990 he established the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Achievement Award Program, which provides annual grants totaling $100,000 to 100 graduating seniors, 100 teachers and 100 schools throughout Wisconsin.
Kohl has a fairly moderate voting record. He has voted in favor of most lawsuit reform measures as well as for rules tightening personal bankruptcy. He has long supported amending the Constitution to require a balanced budget. He was one of the few Democrats to vote for the tax cut passed in 2001. He is strongly pro-choice and opposes the death penalty. In 2005 he secured a victory for one of his main causes: requiring handguns to be sold with child safety locks. The amendment was attached to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, with every Democrat voting in favor of the amendment as well as many Republicans including the Senate Majority leader, Bill Frist.[citation needed]
[edit] 2006 re-election
Kohl won re-election in 2006. He faced Robert Lorge, who received the Republican nomination by default after popular candidates such as former governor Tommy Thompson and 2004 Senate candidate Tim Michels opted not to run. In early polls, Kohl led by at least a 2-1 margin over Lorge. [1]
[edit] Committee assignments
[edit] Electoral history
- 2006 Race for U.S. Senate
- Herb Kohl (D) (inc.), 67%
- Robert Lorge (R), 30%
- Rae Vogeler (G), 2%
- Ben Glatzel (I), 1%
- 2000 Race for U.S. Senate
- Herb Kohl (D) (inc.), 62%
- John Gillespie (R), 37%
- 1994 Race for U.S. Senate
- Herb Kohl (D) (inc.), 58%
- Bob Welch (R), 41%
- 1988 Race for U.S. Senate
- Herb Kohl (D), 52%
- Susan Engeleiter (R), 48%
- 1988 Race for U.S. Senate - Democratic Primary
- Herb Kohl (D), 47%
- Tony Earl (D), 38%
- Ed Garvey (D)
- Doug LaFollette (D)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Herb Kohl for Senate 2006 site
- Senate home page
- VoteSmart profile
- Democratic Party of Wisconsin profile
- 2006 Wisconsin Senate Candidate List from VIS
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
| Preceded by: William Proxmire | United States Senator (Class 1) from Wisconsin 1989 – present Served alongside: Bob Kasten, Russ Feingold | Incumbent |
| Wisconsin's current delegation to the United States Congress |
|---|
| Senators: Herbert Kohl (D), Russ Feingold (D)
Representative(s): Paul Ryan (R), Tammy Baldwin (D), Ron Kind (D), Gwen Moore (D), Jim Sensenbrenner (R), Thomas E. Petri (R), David R. Obey (D), Mark Green (R) All delegations: Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands |
