Paul Simon (politician)

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 1974 to 1985 and United States Senate from 1985 to 1997. He was a member of the Democratic Party. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988. During the campaign, he briefly captured the national attention and was considered a major candidate. This lead to an appearance on the popular television show Saturday Night Live, co-hosting with celebrated singer Paul Simon.

Rise to National Prominence

Following his defeat, Simon became a professor at Sangamon State University in Springfield, Illinois in 1973 and then at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1973.

Related Topics:
Sangamon State University - Springfield, Illinois - Harvard University - John F. Kennedy School of Government

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Simon was a prolific author, he came to national prominence in the 1960s, in part, due to his well-researched book, . Despite being published 100 years after Lincoln's death, it was the first book to exhaustively cite original source documents from Lincoln's eight years in the General Assembly. He later went on to write more than 20 books on a wide range of topics, including interfaith marriages (he was a Lutheran and his wife, Jeanne, was a Catholic), global water shortages, United States Supreme Court nomination battles that focused heavily on his personal experiences with Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas (he was on the Senate Judiciary Committee during these hearings), his autobiography, and even a well-received book on slain Illinois preacher Elijah Lovejoy. His last book, Our Culture of Pandering, was published in October 2003.

Related Topics:
Catholic - United States Supreme Court - Robert Bork - Clarence Thomas - Elijah Lovejoy - 2003

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He resumed his political career and was elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-fourth Congress in 1974 and was reelected to the four succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1975-January 3, 1985). He then ran and was elected to the United States Senate in 1984 and was reelected in 1990. While serving in the Senate, he co-authored the Balanced Budget Amendment with Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah. After his retirement from politics, he continued to play a role in public life by writing books, and through the SIU Public Policy Institute, which was named for him after his death.

Related Topics:
1974 - 1990 - Balanced Budget Amendment - Republican - Orrin Hatch - Utah

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