A former Democratic US senator from Wisconsin and former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball
team, died. He was 88.
“More than anything, Herb loved Milwaukee and Wisconsin, and that is where he chose to live out his days,” the
Kohl Foundation said in a statement. “He touched an incalculable number of lives, and those who love him would
remark that he is among the most decent people to ever walk the earth.”
Kohl was a beloved figure in Wisconsin, buying the Bucks to protect them from leaving town and generously
donating his riches to civic and educational institutions around the state. He also used his money to fund his Senate
campaigns, allowing him to depict himself as “nobody’s senator but yours”.
Kohl stood out in the Senate, a body known for its egos. He was modest and didn’t want recognition, but he was
effective on state-related problems, particularly dairy policy. He was one of the Senate’s wealthiest members and the
only one who owned a professional sports franchise.
Kohl was born in Milwaukee, where he was a childhood buddy of Bud Selig, who later became the MLB
commissioner. They roomed together at the University of Wisconsin and remained friends into adulthood.
Kohl received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1956 and went on to obtain a master’s degree
in business administration from Harvard University in 1958. He also served in the army reserve from 1958 to 1964.
In the 1970s, he served as president of Kohl’s grocery and department stores, which was owned by his family. The
corporation was sold in 1979.
Kohl also entered Wisconsin politics in the 1970s, serving as chair of the state Democratic Party from 1975 to 1977.
“I am pleased, happy, and delighted,” he stated during a press conference. “The Milwaukee Bucks are in Milwaukee
and they are going to stay in Milwaukee.”
