Paul Simon (politician)
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 | |
In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1985 | |
Preceded by | Kenneth J. Gray |
Succeeded by | Kenneth J. Gray |
Constituency | 24th district (1975–1983) 22nd district (1983–1985) |
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, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouses | |
Children | 2, including Sheila |
Education | University of Oregon Dana College |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1951–1953 |
Rank | Private First Class |
Unit | Counterintelligence Corps |
Paul Martin Simon (November 29, 1928 – December 9, 2003) was an American author and 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
Early life and career
Simon was born in Eugene, Oregon on November 29, 1928. He was the son of Martin Paul Simon, a Lutheran minister and missionary to China,[1] and Ruth Lilly (née Tolzmann) Simon, a Lutheran missionary as well. His family was of German descent.[2]
Simon attended Concordia University, a Lutheran school in Portland.[3] He later attended the University of Oregon and Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, but never graduated.
After meeting with local
In May 1951, Simon left his newspaper and enlisted in the United States Army.[5] Simon served in West Germany during the Korean War.[6] Assigned to the Counterintelligence Corps,[7] he attained the rank of private first class[6] and was discharged in June 1953.[8]
State political career
Upon his discharge, Simon was elected to and began his political career in the
In 1963, Simon was elected to the
In
In 1972, Simon ran for the Democratic nomination for governor. Despite his longtime reputation as a political reformer, he was supported by the Cook County Democratic machine, led by Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley.[10] Nevertheless, Simon lost to Dan Walker, who went on to win the general election.
Out of office
In the years between his gubernatorial defeat and political comeback, Simon taught at
Rise to national prominence
US House of Representatives
Simon resumed his political career in 1974 when he was elected to Congress from Illinois's 24th congressional district, defeating former Harrisburg mayor Val Oshel.[12] He was re-elected four times. He was later redistricted to Illinois's 22nd congressional district.
In 1978, Simon was the first recipient of the Foreign Language Advocacy Award, presented by the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in recognition of his service on the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies and his support for language study.[13]
According to the
US Senate
In 1984, he ran for, and was elected to the
He won re-election to the U.S. Senate in 1990 by defeating U.S. Representative
External videos | |
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Retirement announcement by Simon, November 15, 1994, C-SPAN |
Simon gained national prominence after criticizing President
Presidential campaign
This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2021) |
External videos | |
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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 |
Simon sought the Democratic nomination for President in 1988. Mostly unknown outside of Illinois and in low single digits in national polls after his March 1987 announcement, Simon made a name for himself as the oldest, some thought most old-fashioned, candidate, with horn rimmed glasses and bow tie, and one who proudly associated himself with the New Deal liberalism associated with Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman.
Simon surged ahead in Iowa in October, and was, by December, the clear front-runner in that state. However, in February 1988, Simon narrowly lost the
To boost his campaign, Simon made an appearance on Saturday Night Live (SNL), co-hosting with musician Paul Simon (to whom he was not related).[16]
Political positions
Social issues
Simon was fiercely against obscenity and violence in the media during the 1990s, and his efforts against media violence helped lead to the adoption of the V-chip.[18]
During the 1990s, Simon opposed both the Republicans' Contract with America, and President Bill Clinton's welfare reforms. He was one of 21 Senators to vote against the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act.[19] In 1996, Simon joined thirteen other senators (including his fellow U.S. Senator from Illinois, Carol Moseley Braun) in voting against the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriage.[20]
Fiscal issues
Simon was considered a fiscal conservative, who described himself as "a pay-as-you-go Democrat." As a senator, Simon helped overhaul the college student loan program to allow students and their families to borrow directly from the federal government, thus saving money by not using private banks to disburse the loans.[21]
Foreign affairs
Simon promoted a military response to
Presidency
Simon believed modern presidents practice "followership," rather than leadership, saying, "We have been more and more leaning on opinion polls to decide what we're going to do, and you don't get leadership from polls... and not just at the Presidential level. It's happening with Senators, House members, and even state legislators sometimes, [when they] conduct polls to find out where people stand on something."[24]
Simon was also a supporter of
Personal life
Education
Simon rose to national attention in the 1960s, due in part to his well-researched book, Lincoln's Preparation for Greatness: The Illinois Legislative Years. Despite being published 100 years after
After his primary defeat for governor in 1972, Simon founded the Public Affairs Reporting graduate program at
Simon lived for many years in the small town of
Family
Simon was the brother of Arthur Simon, founder of Bread for the World.
On April 21, 1960, Simon married Jeanne Hurley Simon, a member of the Illinois state legislature.[29] It was the first time in Illinois history that two sitting members of the Illinois General Assembly married. She was an integral part of her husband's rise to national prominence. She later became a successful lawyer, author, and chair of National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. She died in February 2000 of brain cancer.[30] Upon her death, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin delivered a tribute to Mrs. Simon on the senate floor.[31] Their daughter, Sheila Simon, became the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois in January, 2011. She previously served as a councilwoman in Carbondale, Illinois and was a law professor at Southern Illinois University.[32]
Simon made a brief cameo appearance as himself in the 1993 political comedy film Dave.
In May 2001, Simon remarried to Patricia Derge, the widow of former Southern Illinois University President David Derge.
Culture
Simon appeared on Saturday Night Live with host and singer Paul Simon (no relation) on December 19, 1987. Also on SNL, Simon was played by Al Franken who would later become a senator himself.
Awards
In 1996 Simon was awarded American Library Association Honorary Membership.
Paul Simon was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the state's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 1998 in the area of Government.[33]
In 1999, Simon received The Lincoln Forum's
Death and aftermath
External videos | |
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Funeral service for former Senator Paul Simon, December 14, 2003, C-SPAN |
Simon died in
In July 2005, the Paul Simon Historical Museum was opened in Troy, Illinois, where Simon lived for 25 years. It included memorabilia from throughout his life, including the desk and camera from his days as a young editor of the Troy Tribune, items from his presidential campaign, and his lieutenant governor license plates.[37] The museum closed in June 2012, due to lack of funding.[38] Paul Simon Chicago Job Corps is a government funding school in which was named after him. PSCJC is located in the city of Chicago in Little Village on South Kedzie Ave and is available to people between the ages of 16–24 who are looking to better themselves and create a positive future for themselves.
Publications
References
- ISBN 9780809146000– via Google Books.
- ^ "P.S." archive.nytimes.com.
- ^ "Simon, Paul Martin, (1928–2003)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
- ^ Dark Horse in a Bow Tie Michael Wright
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hr1169 95th General Assembly".
- ^ a b Rosenbaum, David (10 December 2003). "Paul Simon, Former Senator From Illinois, Is Dead at 75". New York Times. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ^ "Sen. Paul Simon | Paul Simon Public Policy Institute | SIU". paulsimoninstitute.siu.edu. Archived from the original on 2014-10-07.
- ^ Armstrong, Anne L. (September 20, 1974). "Illinois Political Briefing" (PDF). Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
- ^ "The James W. Dodge Foreign Language Advocate Award". Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
- ^ Simon, Paul (March 1, 1994). "S.J.Res.41 – 103rd Congress (1993–1994): A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require a balanced budget". www.congress.gov.
- ^ "Chicago Sun-Times Archive Search Results". nl.newsbank.com.
- ^ Former Sen. Paul Simon Dies Archived 2006-08-31 at the Wayback Machine Fox News
- ^ "Senator Al Franken looks back on his portrayal of the late Sen. Paul Simon". CNBC. New York, NY. September 8, 2017.
- ^ FCC Commissioners Review TV Violence Report John Eggerton
- ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 104th Congress – 2nd Session". www.senate.gov.
- ^ "H.R. 3396 (104th): Defense of Marriage Act – Senate Vote #280 – Sep 10, 1996". GovTrack.us.
- ^ Tribute to Paul Simon Archived 2007-03-01 at the Wayback Machine Christopher Dodd
- ^ Somalia: U.S. Intervention and Operation Restore Hope Archived 2019-07-14 at the Wayback Machine Valerie J. Lofland
- ^ Rwanda Richard J. Norton
- ^ Simon: Time to reinvent the presidency Archived 2006-03-16 at the Wayback Machine Jason Coker
- ^ Lee Teng-hui now welcome to the USA Taiwan Communiqué
- ^ "The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute". Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.
- ^ "What You Can Do With This Degree – Public Affairs Reporting – UIS". www.uis.edu.
- ^ Open Trade Key to Changing Cuba, Sen. Simon Tells Cancun Conference Jack Lyne
- ^ "Jeanne Hurley Simon | Paul Simon Public Policy Institute | SIU".
- ^ NCLIS Chair Jeanne Simon Dies at 77 Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine ALA
- ^ Congressional Record – Senate Archived 2007-06-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Capitol Fax.com – Your Illinois News Radar » *** UPDATED x1 *** It's official: Quinn/Simon 2010". capitolfax.com.
- ^ "Laureates by Year – The Lincoln Academy of Illinois". The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
- ^ The Lincoln Forum
- ^ Awaiting surgery, Simon endorses Dean Chicago Tribune
- ^ Tone, Truth, and the Democratic Party Archived 2007-02-16 at the Wayback Machine Barack Obama
- ^ Simon museum will open in Troy Edwardsville Intelligencer
- ^ Modest Paul Simon Museum is forced to shut its doors St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- ^ a b "Freedom's Champion: Elijah Lovejoy". Publishers Weekly. December 12, 1994. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
External links
- United States Congress. "Paul Simon (id: S000423)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-07-20
- Senator Paul Simon Papers Archived 2020-10-30 at the Wayback Machine at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Special Collections Research Center
- Jeanne Hurley Simon Papers Archived 2020-10-30 at the Wayback Machine at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Special Collections
- U.S. Senator Paul Simon Museum
- Paul Simon Public Policy Institute
- CNN obituary
- Paul Simon Tribute in Daily Egyptian
- Our Culture of Pandering, ISBN 0-8093-2529-2
- "Paul Simon". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
- Appearances on C-SPAN