Wisconsin is remembering Herb Kohl. The former Milwaukee Bucks owner and US Senator from Wisconsin is dead at age 88. The Milwaukee born Democrat bid farewell to Senate colleagues in 2012
“My colleagues in this body are to a man or a woman, thoughtful, hardworking patriots. We do not always agree but every senator I have met is pursuing a course that he or she believes is best for the nation and advocating policies that he or she believes are best for their state.”
Kohl was a champion for Wisconsin’s dairy industry. The self-effacing Kohl once said of his work in the Senate “I check my ego at the door.”
Kohl reflected on his legacy in 2013, after his retirement from the Senate. “I’ve tried to work with and for the people of Wisconsin all my life. I’ve tried every day not only to do the right thing for the people with whom I was working but also for the people for whom I was working.”
In addition to his 24 years of Senate service, Kohl was a businessman and philanthropist. He was named president of Kohl’s in 1970 and served in that role until the company’s sale in 1978. Kohl purchased the Milwaukee Bucks in 1985 and remained true to his pledge to keep the NBA team in Milwaukee.
He used his fortune to found the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation, which donates for scholarships and fellowships to students, teachers and schools in Wisconsin.
Governor Tony Evers on Thursday ordered state and U.S. flags to be lowered to half-staff until the date if interment.