Paul Simon (politician)

Paul Simon
Simon in 1989
United States Senator from Illinois
In office January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1997
Preceded by	Charles Percy
Succeeded by	Dick Durbin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois
In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1985
Preceded by	Kenneth J. Gray
Succeeded by	Kenneth J. Gray
Constituency	24th district (1975–1983) 22nd district (1983–1985)
39th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
In office January 13, 1969 – January 8, 1973
Governor	Richard B. Ogilvie
Preceded by	Samuel Shapiro (1968)
Succeeded by	Neil Hartigan
Personal details
Born	Paul Martin Simon (1928-11-29)November 29, 1928 Eugene, Oregon, U.S.
Died	December 9, 2003(2003-12-09) (aged 75) Springfield, Illinois, U.S.
Resting place	Rowan Cemetery Makanda, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Jeanne Hurley ​ ​ (m. 1960; died 2000)​ Patricia Derge ​ (m. 2001)​
Children	2, including Sheila
Education	University of Oregon Dana College
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1951–1953
Rank	Private First Class
Unit	Counterintelligence Corps

Paul Martin Simon (November 29, 1928 – December 9, 2003) was an American author and politician from Illinois. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1985 and in the United States Senate from 1985 to 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, he unsuccessfully ran for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination.

After his political career, he founded the Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Carbondale, Illinois, which was later named for him. There he taught classes on politics, history and journalism.

Simon was famous for his distinctive bow tie and horn-rimmed glasses.