Durbin, Richard J. (Richard Joseph), 1944-

Richard Joseph Durbin (born November 21, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as U.S. Representative from Illinois's 20th congressional district from 1983 to 1987 and has served as U.S. Senator from Illinois since 1997. Durbin has been Senate Democratic Whip since 2005, the second-highest position in the Democratic leadership in the Senate, and Senate Majority Whip since 2021. He chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Born in East St. Louis, Illinois, he graduated from Assumption High School there before earning a B.S. from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Durbin interned in Senator Paul Douglas's office during his senior year in college, working on Douglas's unsuccessful 1966 reelection campaign. After graduating from law school, Durbin started a law practice in Springfield. He was legal counsel to Lieutenant Governor Paul Simon from 1969 to 1972, and then legal counsel to the Illinois State Senate Judiciary Committee from 1972 to 1982. He unsuccessfully ran for the Illinois State Senate in 1976 and lieutenant governor in 1978. After losing the latter race, Durbin then worked as an adjunct professor at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine for five years while maintaining his law practice.

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