KOHL, HERBERT

KOHL, HERBERT (1935– ), U.S. senator and owner of Milwaukee Bucks basketball team. Kohl was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Max and Mary, both immigrants (Max from Poland, Mary from Russia). He graduated from the University of Wisconsin and was president of his Jewish fraternity Phi Lambda Phi, then earned an MBA at Harvard Business School. He served in the United States Army Reserves from 1958 to 1964. Kohl, the third of four children, watched his father keep an exhausting schedule at the family's small grocery. His parents instilled a pride and emphasis on education in the children as well as the importance of charity and helping others, both driving factors in the senator's life. His parents also hired an Orthodox rabbi to come to the family home daily for nearly ten years to instruct the children in the Torah and the Hebrew language. His Jewish background and culture remain an inspiration for much of his work for charity and in the Senate. Kohl got his start in business with his family's retail operation, which he watched grow from his father's small grocery on Milwaukee's south side to larger department stores and entire shopping centers. In 1972 the family sold 80 percent of the company's stock to a British retailer, though Herb ran Kohl Corporation until 1979 when the remaining stock was sold. He purchased the Milwaukee Bucks after the sale of Kohl Corporation and began to support more philanthropic pursuits. A respected businessman, Kohl ventured into politics in the 1970s when he became chairman of the Wisconsin State Democratic Party from 1975 to 1977. In 1988, he spent nearly $7 million of his own funds running for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by retiring William Proxmire. In the Senate, Kohl was known for his attention to children's issues, supporting issues relating to working parents and child nutrition. Kohl worked to pass the Child Care Infrastructure Act, a law signed in 2001 that encourages private companies to create child care options for their employees by way of on-site or near-site day care centers. Other causes to which Kohl was dedicated are Wisconsin farming, anti-crime legislation, and particularly laws that protect children from criminal acts. Senator Kohl served on three committees. His Senate Appropriations Committee appointment allowed him to work on several subcommittees, including those that benefited education and human services initiatives in his home state. His work on the Special Committee on Aging included introducing a Nursing Home Safety Bill that would hold caregivers accountable in the case of abuse of a resident. On the Senate Judiciary Committee, Kohl's focus was on crime prevention programs, consumer protection issues, and confirmation of the most qualified federal judges. It is estimated that Kohl has donated more than $1 million each year, often with no recognition, and his own fortunes fund the Herb Kohl Foundation, which awards educational scholarships and grants. (Lisa Deshantz-Cook (2nd ed.)