Paul Simon | |
---|---|
United States Senator from Illinois |
|
In office January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1997 |
|
Preceded by | Charles H. Percy |
Succeeded by | Dick Durbin |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 22nd district |
|
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1985 |
|
Preceded by | Dan Crane |
Succeeded by | Kenneth J. Gray |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 24th district |
|
In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1983 |
|
Preceded by | Kenneth J. Gray |
Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
39th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois | |
In office January 13, 1969 – January 8, 1973 |
|
Governor | Richard B. Ogilvie |
Preceded by | Samuel H. Shapiro |
Succeeded by | Neil Hartigan |
Personal details | |
Born |
Paul Martin Simon November 29, 1928 Eugene, Oregon, U.S. |
Died |
December 9, 2003 (aged 75) Springfield, Illinois, U.S. |
Resting place | Rowan Cemetery Makanda, Illinois |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) |
Jeanne Hurley (1960–2000) Patricia Derge (2001–2003) |
Children | 2 (including Sheila) |
Education |
University of Oregon Dana College |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Army |
Years of service | 1951–1953 |
Battles/wars | Korean War |
Booknotes interview with Jeanne Simon on Codename: Scarlett – Life on the Campaign Trail by the Wife of a Presidential Candidate, July 23, 1989, C-SPAN |
Paul Martin Simon (November 29, 1928 – December 9, 2003) was an American politician from Illinois. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1985, and in the United States Senate from 1985 to 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, he unsuccessfully ran for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination.
After his political career, he founded the Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Carbondale, Illinois, which was later named for him. There he taught classes on politics, history and journalism.
Simon was famous for his distinctive appearance that included a bowtie and horn-rimmed glasses.
Simon was born in Eugene, Oregon. He was the son of Martin Simon, a Lutheran minister and missionary to China, and Ruth (née Tolzmann), a Lutheran missionary as well. His family was of German descent.
Simon attended Concordia University, a Lutheran school in Portland. He later attended the University of Oregon and Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, but never graduated.
After meeting with local Lions Club members, he borrowed $3,600 to take over the defunct Troy Call newspaper in 1948, becoming the nation's youngest editor-publisher, of the renamed Troy Tribune in Troy, Illinois, eventually building a chain of 14 weekly newspapers. His activism against gambling, prostitution, and government corruption while at the Troy Tribune influenced the newly elected Governor, Adlai Stevenson, to take a stand on these issues, creating national exposure for Simon that later resulted in his testifying before the Kefauver Commission.