Herb Kohl

Infobox Senator | name=Herb Kohl


jr/sr=Senior Senator
state=Wisconsin
party=Democratic
term_start=January 3, 1989
alongside=Russ Feingold
preceded=William Proxmire
succeeded=
order2=Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging
term_start2=January 4, 2007
term_end2=
preceded2=Gordon Smith
succeeded2=
date of birth=birth date and age|1935|02|07
place of birth=Milwaukee, Wisconsin
spouse=single
occupation= department store executive, professional sports owner
residence= Milwaukee, Wisconsin
alma_mater= University of Wisconsin, Harvard University
alma_mater=University of Wisconsin-Madison
religion=Judaism
branch=United States Army
serviceyears=1958-1964
unit=Reserves

Herbert H. "Herb" Kohl (born February 7, 1935) is an American politician, business leader and philanthropist. He currently serves as the senior senator from the state of Wisconsin as a member of the Democratic Party, and is the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks National Basketball Association (NBA) team.

Early and professional life

Kohl was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is a product of public schools. 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. Between 1958 and 1964, Kohl was a member of the United States Army Reserve.

After graduating college, Kohl worked as an investor in real estate and the stockmarket, eventually spinning off his own company to manage these assets, Kohl Investments. He and his brother became heir to a family-owned chain that included 50 grocery stores and several department stores, pharmacies, and liquor stores. In 1970, Herb Kohl was named president of Kohl's, and he helped to oversee the merger of his corporation with BATUS Inc. in 1972. Kohl stayed on as an executive until 1979.

In 1985, Kohl purchased the Milwaukee Bucks, which owner Jim Fitzgerald had put up for sale due to health concerns. In 2003, Kohl considered an offer to sell the team to former NBA superstar Michael Jordan but decided to keep his ownership stake.

Political career

Overview

He served as the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin between 1975 and 1977. He won election to the United States Senate in 1988 with his trademark catchphrase "nobody's Senator but yours." [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,148097,00.html?iid=chix-sphere "TIME" magazine, June 24, 2001] ] He was reelected in 1994, 2000 and 2006. He is one of the wealthiest U.S. senators with an estimated net worth in 2005 of $279 million. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2005-salary-owners.htm "USA Today", May 20, 2005] ]

Voting record

Kohl has a fairly moderate voting record. The senator has been described as left-of center and with some libertarian tendancies [http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Herbert_Kohl.htm] . 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, and he also supported the elimination of the "marriage penalty". Despite these views, he has been seen as generally supportive of progressive taxation. Like many moderate Democrats, he voted in favor of the welfare reform measures in the mid 1990s. Although he is a strong supporter of public education and has rejected school vouchers, Kohl has voted in favor of allowing for the establishment of educational savings accounts. He is also not opposed to the creation of individual, private savings accounts to supplement Social Security. [http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Herbert_Kohl.htm]

Kohl on the other hand has voted against many free trade agreements including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and more recently the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and voted against the Freedom to Farm Act in 1996. However, has has also supported fast tracking trade normalization with China and establishing free trade with some smaller countries of the third world. He voted in 2002 to authorize military force in Iraq' however he voted against authorizing the Gulf War in 1990. Kohl has voted on a number of occasions with more liberal Democrats to reduce military spending, voting against 1996 defense appropriations increases and supporting a veto of funding new military projects. Kohl has consitantly opposed the PATRIOT Act and has voted to require warrants for wiretapping or the detention of prisoners [http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Herbert_Kohl.htm] .

Kohl is strongly pro-choice and opposes the death penalty. He is highly in favor of affirmative action and supports setting aside funds for women and minorities. Although he voted in favor of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, Kohl rejected the recent proposal to ban gay marriage and has supported measures that ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. Kohl has consistently voted against the flag desecration amendment and in recent years has voted against restrictions on travel to Cuba and funding for TVMarti. 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 and many Republicans voting in favor of the amendment. Earlier in his career, he helped push the Gun-Free Schools Act which the Supreme Court overturned in 1995 and has submitted many amendments to that effect. [ [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/amendment.xpd?session=109&amdt=s1626 Kohl Amendment: Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act] ]

The senator has generally had a pro-environmental record and has been an outspoken proponent of American energy independence. He supports increased production of hydrogen cars, establishing a federal goal for reducing oil consumption by 40%, and disallowing oil speculation in protected areas. However, he has voted against CAFE standards. Kohl has been rated highly by groups that desire universal health care. He has voted in favor of expanding Medicare and SCHIP and has desired that prescription drugs be included under federal health coverage. During his most recent election campaign, Kohl advocated that HMOs be placed under more scrutiny in order to determine if they're effectively delivering care. [http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Herbert_Kohl.htm]

In 2008, he voted to grant retroactive immunity for telecom companies engaged in illegal wiretapping. [http://www.metafilter.com/69013/Senate-Votes-for-Retroactive-immunity]

2006 re-election

In 2006, Kohl easily won re-election over physician Robert Lorge, who became the Republican nominee after more well-known candidates, such as former governor Tommy Thompson and 2004 Senate candidate Tim Michels, opted not to run. In polls well before the primary, Kohl led Lorge by a large margin. [ [http://www.strategicvision.biz/political/wisconsin_poll_050306.htm Strategic Vision poll, April 28-30, 2006] ]

Committee assignments

*Appropriations Committee
**Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (Chairman)
**Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
**Subcommittee on Defense
**Subcommittee on Homeland Security
**Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
**Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
**Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
*Committee on the Judiciary
**Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights (Chairman)
**Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs
**Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security
*Special Committee on Aging (Chairman)

Electoral history

Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Herb Kohl (incumbent)
votes = 1,436,623
percentage = 67.4
change =Election box candidate with party link
party = Republican Party (US)
candidate = Robert Lorge
votes = 629,127
percentage = 29.5
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Green Party (US)
candidate = Rae Vogeler
votes = 42,300
percentage = 2.0
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Herb Kohl (incumbent)
votes = 1,563,238
percentage = 61.6
change =Election box candidate with party link
party = Republican Party (US)
candidate = John Gillespie
votes = 940,744
percentage = 37.1
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Herb Kohl (incumbent)
votes = 912,662
percentage = 58.3
change =Election box candidate with party link
party = Republican Party (US)
candidate = Bob Welch
votes = 636,989
percentage = 40.7
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Herb Kohl
votes = 1,128,625
percentage = 52.1
change =Election box candidate with party link
party = Republican Party (US)
candidate = Susan Engeleiter
votes = 1,030,440
percentage = 47.6
change =

*1988 election for U.S. Senate — Democratic Primary
**Herb Kohl (D), 47%
**Tony Earl (D), 38%
**Ed Garvey (D)
**Doug LaFollette (D)

Business and philanthropy

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 until the sale of the corporation in 1979.

Kohl is recognized as dedicated Wisconsinite and sports enthusiast. In 1985 he bought the Bucks basketball team to ensure the team remained in Milwaukee. Kohl also donated $25 million to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for construction of its new sports arena, which was named the Kohl Center. It was the largest single donation in University of Wisconsin System history.Fact|date=July 2008

He remains active in other 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.

References

External links

* [http://kohl.senate.gov/ United States Senator Herb Kohl] official Senate site
* [http://www.kohleducation.org/ Herb Kohl Educational Foundation] official site
* [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Herb_Kohl SourceWatch Congresspedia — Herb Kohl] profile
* [http://www.wisdems.org/index.php?display=CandidateDetails&id=246233 Democratic Party of Wisconsin — Herb Kohl] profile

U.S. Senator box
state=Wisconsin
class=1
before=William Proxmire
start=1989
alongside=Bob Kasten, Russ Feingoldincumbent box
title=Chairman of Senate Aging Committee
before=Gordon Smith
Oregon

start=2007