Dick Durbin
Dick Durbin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Official portrait, 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States Senator from Illinois | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office January 3, 1997 Serving with Tammy Duckworth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Paul Simon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 20th district | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1997 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Paul Findley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | John Shimkus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Richard Joseph Durbin November 21, 1944 East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Democratic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) |
Loretta Schaefer (m. 1967) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3[note 1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Springfield, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Georgetown University (BS, JD) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Senate website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Richard Joseph "Dick" Durbin (born November 21, 1944) is the senior United States Senator from Illinois. He is also the Senate Minority Whip, the second highest position in the Democratic Party leadership in the Senate. He is the longest-serving Senate party whip in U.S. history.[2]
Political career
Working in state legal counsel throughout the 1970s, he made an unsuccessful run for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois in 1978. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, representing the Springfield-based 20th congressional district.
In 1996, he won election to the U.S. Senate by an unexpected 15 points. He became the Senate Democratic Whip in 2005. From January 3, 2007 to January 3, 2015, he was the Senate Majority Whip because his party had the majority.
Durbin is the only the fifth United States senator from Illinois to serve the position of United States Senate Minority Whip.[3]
In 2019, Durbin co-signed a Senate resolution affirming support for a two-state solution and opposition to a proposed Israeli annexation of the West Bank.[4] In November 2023, Durbin was the first U.S. senator to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza war.[5]
In April 2025, Durbin announced he would not seek reelection in 2026.[6]
Personal life
Durbin was born on November 21, 1944 in East St. Louis, Illinois.[7] He graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and Georgetown University Law Center. Durbin is married to Loretta Schaefer. They had three children. In 2008, their daughter died from heart problems.[8]
Notes
References
- ↑ "Sen. Dick Durbin's daughter dies". CNN. 2008-11-01. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
- ↑ "The nation's longest-serving party whip, Dick Durbin of Illinois, will not run in 2026". Yahoo. April 23, 2025. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
- ↑ "Dick Durbin info". Durbin.senate.gov. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ↑ "Democratic Senators Release Resolution Against Israeli Annexation of West Bank". Haaretz. July 7, 2020.
- ↑ Feurer, Todd; Henry, Skylar (2023-11-02). "Sen. Dick Durbin calls for Gaza ceasefire, tied to Hamas' release of hostages - CBS Chicago". CBS News. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
- ↑ Hulse, Carl (2025-04-23). "Durbin, No. 2 Senate Democrat, to Retire After 44 Years in Congress". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ↑ "Senator Dick Durbin - Biography - Project Vote Smart". Votesmart.org. 1944-11-21. Archived from the original on 2011-10-26. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
- ↑ "Sen. Durbin's eldest daughter, Christine, dies". www.chicagotribune.com. November 1, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
Other websites
- Quotations related to Richard Durbin at Wikiquote
- Works written by or about Richard Durbin at Wikisource
- United States Senator Dick Durbin official U.S. Senate site
- Dick Durbin, U.S. Senator official campaign site