Dick Durbin Biography, Wife – Loretta Schaefer Durbin and Family Life

Dick Durbin is an American politician whose notable career began in the mid-1970s as a Democrat. Prior to entering politics, Durbin practiced law.

He served in the United States House of Representatives for 14 years from 1983 to 1997, representing Illinois’ 20th District, and began serving as a United States Senator from Illinois shortly thereafter. . Since 2005, Dick Durbin has served as Deputy Democratic Leader, making him second in command in the Democratic Party leadership hierarchy. He served as Senate whip for two years between 2005 and 2007, from 2007 to 2015, in the Senate majority. Durbin became Minority Whip again in 2015.

Biography of Dick Durbin

Dick Durbin was born Richard Joseph Durbin on November 21, 1944 in East St. Louis, Illinois. Her father, William Durbin, was of Iranian-American descent, while her mother, Anna (née Kutkin), was Lithuanian.

Dick Durbin attended Assumption High School in East St. Louis and graduated in 1962. He attended Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1966. As a student , he interned in the office of Senator Paul Douglas of Illinois.

He was called to the Illinois bar in 1969, shortly after earning his JD from Georgetown University Law Center. He began his practice in Springfield, the state capital, as legal counsel to Lieutenant Governor Paul Simon from 1969 to 1972.

Durbin served in the same position as the Illinois State Senate Judiciary Committee from 1972 to 1982. While there, he ran for the Illinois State Senate seat in 1976, but without success. He lost his second try at a campaign seat in 1978 when, as running mate, Michael Bakalis was defeated for lieutenant governor by Republican presidential incumbents Jim Thompson and Dave O’Neal.

Dick Durbin took a brief hiatus from politics and served as an adjunct professor at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. For five years, he simultaneously worked at school and practiced his profession as a lawyer.

Returning to politics, Durbin won his next trial in 1982. He defeated Republican President Paul Findley, a member of the United States House of Representatives representing the 20th congressional district. Dick Durbin won 6 re-elections to the seat with impressive numbers.

After longtime Democratic Senator Paul Simon announced his retirement, Dick Durbin won the party’s victory and defeated Republican Al Salvi in ​​the general election to become Illinois’ 47th state senator. He was re-elected to this position in 2002, 2008 and 2014. In the Senate, Dick Durbin served on several committees, including the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on the Judiciary, of which he was the principal member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, as well as the Rules and Administration Committee.

Family Life, Wife – Loretta Schaefer Durbin

Dick Durbin is married to Loretta Schaefer Durbin. The couple have been married since 1967. Loretta is a retired lobbyist. His work was widely discussed when, in 2014, the Chicago Tribune reported conflicts of interest between Durbin and his wife, citing a few instances where his wife’s clients had received federal funding promoted by Durbin.

One of those cases included a state university for which Loretta was the lobbyist, receiving money through an envelope from Durbin. However, the Durbins have claimed to avoid conflicts of interest as much as possible, but the opposition maintains that these cases are more than just coincidence.

Prior to becoming a lobbyist, Loretta worked as an aide to two Democratic lawmakers in the Illinois Senate from 1985 to 1994. She also worked for the Illinois Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation, which oversees federal funds and laws.

Her lobbying career began in 1977 when she teamed up with Republican Alice Phillips to form the lobbying firm Government Affairs Specialists Inc. The firm ceased operations in 2011, after Phillips retired. Loretta continued to lobby and started her own company – Government Affairs Consulting LLC, which she ran until her retirement in 2014.

Durbin and his wife had three children together, but their first child, Christine, died on November 1, 2008, from a heart complication. She was 40 years old. Their two living children include; Jennifer – born in 1971 and Paul Durbin born in 1969. Durbin and his wife have at least 3 grandchildren.