Herb Kohl

For persons of a similar name, see Herbert Kohl (disambiguation).

Herb Kohl
Chair of the Senate Aging Committee
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Gordon H. Smith
Succeeded by	Bill Nelson
United States Senator from Wisconsin
In office January 3, 1989 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	William Proxmire
Succeeded by	Tammy Baldwin
Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party
In office 1975–1977
Preceded by	William Gerrard
Succeeded by	Michael Bleicher
Personal details
Born	(1935-02-07)February 7, 1935 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of Wisconsin–Madison (BS) Harvard University (MBA)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1958–1964
Unit	Army Reserve

Herbert H. Kohl (February 7, 1935 – December 27, 2023) was an American businessman and politician. Kohl also served as a United States senator from Wisconsin from 1989 to 2013 as a member of the Democratic Party.

Alongside his brother and father, Kohl founded the Kohl's department stores chain, of which he went on to be president and chief executive officer. He purchased the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association in 1985, keeping the team from relocating. Kohl was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1989 and was elected to four six-year terms.

Early life, education, and career

Kohl was born and raised in Milwaukee, the son of Mary (née Hiken) and Max Kohl. His father was a Polish Jewish immigrant and his mother was a Russian Jewish immigrant. He attended Washington High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1956 and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School in 1958. While an undergraduate, he joined the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. He was also a roommate of Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. Between 1958 and 1964, Kohl was a member of the United States Army Reserve.

After finishing graduate school, Kohl worked as an investor in real estate and the stock market, eventually spinning off his own company, Kohl Investments, to manage these assets. He and his brother became heirs to a family-owned chain that included 50 grocery stores and several department stores, pharmacies and liquor stores. In 1970, Kohl was named president of Kohl's and served until the corporation was sold to BATUS Inc. (formerly British American Tobacco) in 1978.

Kohl served as chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin between 1975 and 1977.

Milwaukee Bucks

Kohl purchased the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from Jim Fitzgerald in 1985 for $18 million to ensure the team remained in Milwaukee. In 2003, he considered an offer to sell the team to former NBA superstar Michael Jordan, but decided to retain ownership.

On April 16, 2014, Kohl agreed to sell the Bucks for $550 million to New York-based billionaires Wes Edens and Marc Lasry.

U.S. Senate

Kohl won election to the U.S. Senate in 1988. Incumbent William Proxmire, a Democrat, did not seek reelection, and Kohl defeated Republican Susan Engeleiter in the general election. He was re-elected in 1994 against Robert Welch, in 2000 against John Gillespie, and in 2006 against Robert Lorge.

On May 13, 2011, Kohl announced he would not run for re-election in 2012, saying, "The office doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the people of Wisconsin, and there is something to be said for not staying in office too long."

Committee assignments

• Committee on Appropriations
  • 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 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 Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions
  • Subcommittee on Security and International Trade and Finance
• Committee on the Judiciary (Vice Chairman)
  • 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)

Political positions

Kohl has been described as a populist-leaning liberal.

Kohl supported President Barack Obama's health reform legislation; he voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009, and he voted for the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Fiscal policy

He voted in favor of most lawsuit reform measures as well as for rules tightening personal bankruptcy. He long supported amending the U.S. 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. He was also not opposed to the creation of individual, private savings accounts to supplement Social Security.

Kohl generally had a pro-environmental record and has been an outspoken proponent of American energy independence. He supported increased production of hydrogen cars, establishing a federal goal for reducing oil consumption by 40 percent, and disallowing oil speculation in protected areas. However, he has voted against Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. Kohl was 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 2006 re-election campaign, Kohl advocated that HMOs be placed under more scrutiny in order to determine if they're effectively delivering care.

Social policy

Kohl was strongly pro-choice and opposed the death penalty. He was highly in favor of affirmative action and supported setting aside funds for women and minorities. Although he voted in favor of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, Kohl rejected the proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman 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 TV Martí. 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 U.S. Supreme Court overturned in 1995 and submitted many amendments to that effect. He was 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.

Foreign policy

Kohl voted against many free trade agreements including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and voted against the Freedom to Farm Act in 1996. However, he has also supported fast-tracking trade normalization with China and establishing free trade with some smaller countries of the developing world. He voted against authorizing the Gulf War in 1990; however, he voted in 2002 to authorize military force in Iraq. 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. Despite having been among the 98 U.S. senators who voted for the PATRIOT Act, Kohl subsequently opposed this legislation and has voted to require warrants for wiretapping or the detention of prisoners.

Electoral history

United States Senate election in Wisconsin, 2006

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Herb Kohl (incumbent)	1,439,214	67.31	+5.77%
	Republican	Robert Lorge	630,299	29.48	-7.56%
	Green	Rae Vogeler	42,434	1.98	+1.98%
	Independent	Ben J. Glatzel	25,096	1.17	+1.17%

United States Senate election in Wisconsin, 2000

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Herb Kohl (incumbent)	1,563,238	61.54	+3.25%
	Republican	John Gillespie	940,744	37.04	-3.65%

United States Senate election in Wisconsin, 1994

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Herb Kohl (incumbent)	912,662	58.29	+6.21%
	Republican	Bob Welch	636,989	40.69	-6.86%

United States Senate election in Wisconsin, 1988

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Herb Kohl	1,128,625	52.08
	Republican	Susan Engeleiter	1,030,440	47.55

Wisconsin U.S. Senate Election 1988 – Democratic Primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Herb Kohl	249,226	46.78
	Democratic	Tony Earl	203,479	38.19
	Democratic	Ed Garvey	55,225	10.37
	Democratic	Doug La Follette	19,819	3.72

Personal life

Kohl was the wealthiest resident of Milwaukee, the richest Jewish American from Wisconsin, and was one of the wealthiest U.S. senators. In 2016, Forbes estimated Kohl's net worth to be around $630 million to $1.5 billion.

Kohl was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. On July 22, 2021, Kohl was the key figure of the lead car in the Milwaukee Bucks NBA Championship parade. On the event, he said: "This is one of the big days of my life." Kohl attended the Bucks' 2021-22 season opener at Fiserv Forum and was presented with a Bucks championship ring for his efforts in keeping the Bucks in Milwaukee.

Kohl died on December 27, 2023, at the age of 88.

Philanthropy

Kohl donated $25 million to the University of Wisconsin–Madison for construction of its new sports arena, which was named the Kohl Center. In 1990, Kohl established the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Achievement Award Program, which provides annual grants totaling $400,000 to 200 graduating seniors, 100 teachers and 100 schools throughout Wisconsin. In 2016, he gave $1.5 million to the La Follette School of Public Affairs to create the Herb Kohl Public Service Research Competition, promoting public policy research.

See also

• List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
• List of richest American politicians

External links

• Herb Kohl Educational Foundation
• Herb Kohl at Curlie
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission

Party political offices
Preceded by William Gerrard	Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party 1975–1977	Succeeded by Michael Bleicher
Preceded by William Proxmire	Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (Class 1) 1988, 1994, 2000, 2006	Succeeded by Tammy Baldwin
Sporting positions
Preceded by Jim Fitzgerald	Owner of the Milwaukee Bucks 1985–2014	Succeeded by Wesley Edens Marc Lasry
United States Senate
Preceded by William Proxmire	U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Wisconsin 1989–2013 Served alongside: Bob Kasten, Russ Feingold, Ron Johnson	Succeeded by Tammy Baldwin
Preceded by Gordon Smith	Chair of the Senate Aging Committee 2007–2013	Succeeded by Bill Nelson