Dick Durbin | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Senate Majority Whip | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2021 | |
| Leader | Chuck Schumer |
| Preceded by | John Thune |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Leader | Harry Reid |
| Preceded by | Mitch McConnell |
| Succeeded by | John Cornyn |
| Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee | |
| Assumed office February 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Lindsey Graham |
| Senate Minority Whip | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – January 20, 2021 | |
| Leader | Harry Reid Chuck Schumer |
| Preceded by | John Cornyn |
| Succeeded by | John Thune |
| In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Leader | Harry Reid |
| Preceded by | Harry Reid |
| Succeeded by | Trent Lott |
| United States Senator from Illinois | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1997 Serving with Tammy Duckworth | |
| Preceded by | Paul Simon |
| 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 |
Loretta Schaefer (m. 1967) |
| Children | 3[note 1] |
| Residence(s) | Springfield, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | Georgetown University (BS, JD) |
| Occupation |
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| Signature |  |
| Website | Senate website |
Richard Joseph Durbin (born November 21, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Illinois, a seat he has held since 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, Durbin is in his fifth Senate term and has served as the Senate Democratic whip since 2005 (the second-highest position in the Democratic leadership in the Senate) and as the Senate majority whip since 2021. He chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee,[2] and led the Ketanji Brown Jackson Supreme Court nomination hearings.
Durbin was born in East St. Louis, Illinois. He graduated from the School of Foreign Service and the Georgetown University Law Center. Working in state legal counsel throughout the 1970s, he made an unsuccessful run for lieutenant governor of Illinois in 1978. He later maintained a private law practice and co-owned a pub in Springfield. Durbin was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, representing the Springfield-based 20th congressional district.
After serving seven House terms, Durbin was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996 and reelected in 2002, 2008, 2014, and 2020. He has served as the Senate Democratic whip since 2005—under Harry Reid until 2017, and under Chuck Schumer since 2017. During that time, he had two stints as Senate majority whip (from 2007 to 2015, and since 2021), and two as minority whip (from 2005 to 2007 and from 2015 to 2021). As of 2024, Durbin is the longest-serving Senate party whip in U.S. history. He is the dean of Illinois's congressional delegation.
- ^ "Sen. Dick Durbin's daughter dies". CNN. November 1, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
- ^ DeBonis, Mike; Kane, Paul. "Senate Democrats clear the way for Durbin to be party's leader on Judiciary Committee". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
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