Herb Kohl

Herb Kohl
Chair of the Senate Aging Committee
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013
Preceded byGordon H. Smith
Succeeded byBill Nelson
United States Senator
from Wisconsin
In office
January 3, 1989 – January 3, 2013
Preceded byWilliam Proxmire
Succeeded byTammy Baldwin
Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party
In office
April 12, 1975 – June 11, 1977
Preceded byWilliam Gerrard
Succeeded byMichael Bleicher
Personal details
Born
Herbert Hiken Kohl

(1935-02-07)February 7, 1935
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedDecember 27, 2023(2023-12-27) (aged 88)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison (BS)
Harvard University (MBA)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1958–1964
UnitArmy Reserve

Herbert Hiken Kohl (February 7, 1935 – December 27, 2023) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and Democratic politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He served 24 years as a United States senator from Wisconsin, from 1989 to 2013, and earlier served as chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

From 1970 to 1979, Kohl was president of Kohl's Corporation, his family's business that owned the Kohl's department stores chain. He purchased the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association in 1985 to prevent the team from relocating out of Milwaukee. He is also the namesake of the Kohl Center arena on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus.