Amendments to the United Nations Charter can be made by a procedure set out in Chapter XVIII of the UN Charter. The UN Charter has been amended five times since 1945.^[1]

Amendment process[link]

Article 108 provides:

Amendments to the present Charter shall come into force for all Members of the United Nations when they have been adopted by a vote of two thirds of the members of the General Assembly and ratified in accordance with their respective constitutional processes by two thirds of the Members of the United Nations, including all the permanent members of the Security Council.

Because Charter amendments require the consent of all five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—defined in Article 23 of the Charter as "The Republic of China, France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States"—it is impossible for other UN member states to force the permanent five to give up their Security Council 'veto power', by means of a Charter amendment. Many reformers have described this situation as a Catch-22. According to Global Policy Forum, "the P-5 are content with the present arrangements and oppose any changes that might dilute or challenge their power or expand their 'club.' China has already announced it will block permanent membership for Japan, and the United States has suggested that it will only support Council reform that commands an implausibly 'broad consensus'".^[2]

Article 109 provides for the convening of a "General Conference of the Members of the United Nations" to consider amendments. In 1955, the UN General Assembly established a committee to meet and report on this possibility annually. The committee did so until 1967.^[3] The requirement that a "proposal to call such a conference shall be placed on the agenda" of the 1955 General Assembly reflects the intent of the UN Charter's framers that the original charter would only be a provisional document, until the establishment of a more perfect union within a decade or two. Many organizations have launched lobbying efforts and petition drives in an attempt to invoke the provisions of Article 109.^[4]

According to the Commission on Global Governance's 1995 report Our Global Neighborhood, "Article 109 of the UN Charter envisaged Charter revision. A mandatory revision was one idea canvassed at San Francisco, in the context of the objections to the provision for a veto by countries that were not great powers".^[5]

Amendments[link]

The changes to the UN Charter, made by means of five amendments, were^[6]:

• 31 August 1965: Expansion of the UN Security Council from 11 to 15 members, with the supermajority required for action being increased from 7 to 9 votes.^[7]
• 31 August 1965: Expansion of UN Economic and Social Council from 18 to 27 members.^[8]
• 24 September 1973: Expansion of the UN Economic and Social Council from 27 to 54 members by an amendment to Article 61 of the Charter, which was adopted by the General Assembly in 1971 and became operative on 24 September 1973.
• 12 June 1968: Article 109 was amended.

These amendments were adjustments to take into account increases in the UN membership, which has almost quadrupled since 1945.

Structural changes adopted without amendment[link]

Major changes to the Charter-defined structure of the UN have also been made without formal amendment of the text:

• The requirement that "Decisions of the Security Council on all other matters [not procedural] shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members..." was changed to allow decisions to be made when permanent members abstained, rather than concurring.
• The Soviet Union's permanent seat in the UN Security Council was assumed by Russia. See Russia's membership in the United Nations.
• The Taipei-based Republic of China's permanent seat in the Security Council was assumed by the Beijing-based People's Republic of China when the General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758. See China and the United Nations

References[link]

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Charter of the United Nations

v t e United Nations Charter Text Preamble · Chapter I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX · X · XI · XII · XIII · XIV · XV · XVI · XVII · XVIII · XIX · Amendments History 1919 Paris Peace Conference · Treaty of Versailles · Covenant of the League of Nations · 1943 Moscow Conference · 1943 Tehran Conference · 1944 Dumbarton Oaks Conference · 1945 Conference on International Organization · Signatories Organs created Security Council · General Assembly · Economic and Social Council · Trusteeship Council · International Court of Justice (Statute) · Secretariat · Military Staff Committee Complete text · UN Portal

United Nations Charter

Signed	26 June 1945
Location	San Francisco, California, United States
Effective	24 October 1945
Condition	Ratification by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, United States and by a majority of the other signatory states.
Parties	193
Charter of the United Nations at Wikisource
v t e

The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations.^[1] It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries (Poland, the other original member, which was not represented at the conference, signed it 2 months later). It entered into force on 24 October 1945, after being ratified by the five permanent members of the Security Council—the Republic of China (later replaced by the People's Republic of China), France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (later replaced by the Russian Federation), the United Kingdom, and the United States—and a majority of the other signatories. Today, 193 countries are the members of the United Nations.

As a charter, it is a constituent treaty, and all members are bound by its articles. Furthermore, the Charter states that obligations to the United Nations prevail over all other treaty obligations.^[1] Most countries in the world have now ratified the Charter. One notable exception is the Vatican City State, which has chosen to remain a permanent observer state and therefore is not a full signatory to the Charter.^[2]

Summary[link]

The Charter consists of a preamble and a series of articles grouped into chapters.^[1]

The preamble consists of two principal parts. The first part containing a general call for the maintenance of peace and international security and respect for human rights. The second part of the preamble is a declaration in a contractual style that the governments of the peoples of the United Nations have agreed to the Charter.

• Chapter I sets forth the purposes of the United Nations, including the important provisions of the maintenance of international peace and security.
• Chapter II defines the criteria for membership in the United Nations.
• Chapters III-XV, the bulk of the document, describe the organs and institutions of the UN and their respective powers.
• Chapters XVI and Chapter XVII describe arrangements for integrating the UN with established international law.
• Chapters XVIII and Chapter XIX provide for amendment and ratification of the Charter.

The following chapters deal with the enforcement powers of UN bodies:

• Chapter VI describes the Security Council's power to investigate and mediate disputes;
• Chapter VII describes the Security Council's power to authorize economic, diplomatic, and military sanctions, as well as the use of military force, to resolve disputes;
• Chapter VIII makes it possible for regional arrangements to maintain peace and security within their own region;
• Chapters IX and Chapter X describe the UN's powers for economic and social cooperation, and the Economic and Social Council that oversees these powers;
• Chapters XII and Chapter XIII describe the Trusteeship Council, which oversaw decolonization;
• Chapters XIV and Chapter XV establish the powers of, respectively, the International Court of Justice and the United Nations Secretariat.
• Chapters XVI through Chapter XIX deal respectively with XVI: miscellaneous provisions, XVII: transitional security arrangements related to World War II, XVIII: the charter amendment process, and XIX: ratification of the charter.

Charter Provisions[link]

Preamble[link]

The Preamble to the treaty reads as follows:

"We the peoples of the United Nations determined: to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, And for these ends: to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples, Have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish these aims: Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations."

Although the Preamble is an integral part of the Charter, it does not set out any of the rights or obligations of member states, rather its purpose is to serve as an interpretative guide for the provisions of the Charter through the highlighting of some of the core motives of the founders of the organisation.^[3]

Chapter I: Purposes And Principles[link]

Article 1[link]

The Purposes of the United Nations are^[1]

1. To maintain international peace and security, to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace;
2. To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace;
3. To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion; and
4. To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends.

Article 2[link]

The Organization and its Members, in pursuit of the Purposes stated in Article 1, shall act in accordance with the following Principles:^[1]

1. The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members.
2. All Members, in order to ensure to all of them the rights and benefits resulting from membership, shall fulfill in good faith the obligations assumed by them in accordance with the present Charter.
3. All Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.
4. All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.
5. All Members shall give the United Nations every assistance in any action it takes in accordance with the present Charter, and shall refrain from giving assistance to any state against which the United Nations is taking preventive or enforcement action.
6. The Organization shall ensure that states which are not Members of the United Nations act in accordance with these Principles so far as may be necessary for the maintenance of international peace and security.
7. Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter; but this principle shall not prejudice the application of enforcement measures under Chapter Vll.^[1]

Chapter II: Membership[link]

Chapter II of the United Nations Charter deals with membership of the United Nations organization

Chapter III: Organs[link]

1. There are established as principal organs of the United Nations: a General Assembly, a Security Council, an Economic and Social Council, a Trusteeship Council, an International Court of Justice and a Secretariat.
2. Such subsidiary organs as may be found necessary may be established in accordance with the present Charter.

Chapter IV: The General Assembly[link]

Chapter V: The Security Council[link]

COMPOSITION

Article 23

1. The Security Council shall consist of fifteen Members of the United Nations. The Republic of China, France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America shall be permanent members of the Security Council. The General Assembly shall elect ten other Members of the United Nations to be non-permanent members of the Security Council, due regard being specially paid, in the first instance to the contribution of Members of the United Nations to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the other purposes of the Organization, and also to equitable geographical distribution.

2. The non-permanent members of the Security Council shall be elected for a term of two years. In the first election of the non-permanent members after the increase of the membership of the Security Council from eleven to fifteen, two of the four additional members shall be chosen for a term of one year. A retiring member shall not be eligible for immediate re-election.

3. Each member of the Security Council shall have one representative.

FUNCTIONS and POWERS

Article 24

1. In order to ensure prompt and effective action by the United Nations, its Members confer on the Security Council primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and agree that in carrying out its duties under this responsibility the Security Council acts on their behalf.

2. In discharging these duties the Security Council shall act in accordance with the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations. The specific powers granted to the Security Council for the discharge of these duties are laid down in Chapters VI, VII, VIII, and XII.

3. The Security Council shall submit annual and, when necessary, special reports to the General Assembly for its consideration.

Article 25

The Members of the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council in accordance with the present Charter.

Article 26

In order to promote the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security with the least diversion for armaments of the world's human and economic resources, the Security Council shall be responsible for formulating, with the assistance of the Military Staff Committee referred to in Article 47, plans to be submitted to the Members of the United Nations for the establishment of a system for the regulation of armaments.

VOTING

Article 27

1. Each member of the Security Council shall have one vote.

2. Decisions of the Security Council on procedural matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members.

3. Decisions of the Security Council on all other matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members; provided that, in decisions under Chapter VI, and under paragraph 3 of Article 52, a party to a dispute shall abstain from voting.

PROCEDURE

Article 28

1. The Security Council shall be so organized as to be able to function continuously. Each member of the Security Council shall for this purpose be represented at all times at the seat of the Organization.

2. The Security Council shall hold periodic meetings at which each of its members may, if it so desires, be represented by a member of the government or by some other specially designated representative.

3. The Security Council may hold meetings at such places other than the seat of the Organization as in its judgment will best facilitate its work.

Article 29

The Security Council may establish such subsidiary organs as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions.

Article 30

The Security Council shall adopt its own rules of procedure, including the method of selecting its President.

Article 31

Any Member of the United Nations which is not a member of the Security Council may participate, without vote, in the discussion of any question brought before the Security Council whenever the latter considers that the interests of that Member are specially affected.

Article 32

Any Member of the United Nations which is not a member of the Security Council or any state which is not a Member of the United Nations, if it is a party to a dispute under consideration by the Security Council, shall be invited to participate, without vote, in the discussion relating to the dispute. The Security Council shall lay down such conditions as it deems just for the participation of a state which is not a Member of the United Nations.

Chapter VI: Pacific Settlement of Disputes[link]

Chapter VII: Action with respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of Aggression[link]

Chapter VIII: Regional Arrangements[link]

Chapter IX: International Economic and Social Co-operation[link]

Chapter X: The Economic and Social Council[link]

Chapter XI: Declaration regarding Non-Self-Governing Territories[link]

Chapter XII: International Trusteeship System[link]

Chapter XIII: The Trusteeship System[link]

Chapter XIV: The International Court of Justice[link]

Chapter XV: The Secretariat[link]

• It comprises the secretary general and such other staff as the organization may require.
• It provides services to the other organ of the united nation, the G.A, the S.C, the ECOSOC, and the trusteeship council, as well as their subsidiary bodies.
• The secretary general is appointed by the G.A on the recommendation of security council.
• The staff of the secretariat is appointed by the secretary general according to the regulation laid G.A.
• The secretariat is located at the headquarter of the U.N in New York.
• The secretariat also includes the regional commission secretariat at Baghdad, Bangkok, Geva and Santiago.

Function of Secretariat[link]

1. preparation of report and other documents containing information, analysis, historical background research finding, policy suggestions and so forth, to facilitate deliberations and decision making by other organs.
2. to facilitate legislative organs and their subsidiary bodies.
3. provision of meeting services for the G.A and other organs
4. provision of editorial, translation and document reproduction services for the issuance of UN documents in different language.
5. conduct of studies and provision of information to various member states in meeting challenge in various fields
6. preparation of statistical publication, information bulletin and analytical work which the G.A. has decided
7. organization of conferences experts group meetings and seminar on topics of concern to the international community
8. provision of technical assistance to develop countries.
9. understanding of service mission to countries, areas or location as authorized by the G.A or the security council

Chapter XVI: Miscellaneous Provisions[link]

Chapter XVII: Transitional Security Arrangements[link]

Chapter XVIII: Amendments[link]

Chapter XIX: Ratification and Signature[link]

See also[link]

United Nations portal

• Command responsibility
• Nuremberg Principles
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Full text of the charter
• Full Text In the UN Mobile Website
• Scanned copy of the signed charter
• Searchable/cross-referenced/Trackback-enabled text of the charter
• Alger Hiss recounts transporting the UN Charter after its signing.

Links to related articles v t e United Nations Charter Text Preamble · Chapter I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX · X · XI · XII · XIII · XIV · XV · XVI · XVII · XVIII · XIX · Amendments History 1919 Paris Peace Conference · Treaty of Versailles · Covenant of the League of Nations · 1943 Moscow Conference · 1943 Tehran Conference · 1944 Dumbarton Oaks Conference · 1945 Conference on International Organization · Signatories Organs created Security Council · General Assembly · Economic and Social Council · Trusteeship Council · International Court of Justice (Statute) · Secretariat · Military Staff Committee Complete text · UN Portal v t e United Nations (UN) UN System Member states • Observers • General Assembly (President) • Security Council • Department of Economic and Social Affairs • Economic and Social Council • Secretariat (Secretary-General) • Trusteeship Council • International Court of Justice History League of Nations • Peacekeeping missions (history • timeline) • Enlargement Major[vague] offices New York (Headquarters) • Geneva (Office) • Nairobi (Office) • Vienna (Office) Programmes and agencies FAO • ICAO • ILO • IMO • IPCC • IAEA • UNIDO • ITU • UNAIDS • SCSL • UNCTAD • UNCITRAL • UNDG • UNDP • UNDPI • UNEP (OzonAction, UNEP/GRID-Arendal) • UNESCO • UNODC • UNFIP • UNFPA • OHCHR • UNHCR • UNHRC • UN-HABITAT • UNICEF • UNITAR • UNOSAT • UNRWA • UN Women • UNWTO • UPU • WFP • WHO • WMO Resolutions General Assembly • Security Council Elections 2011 UNSC • 2011 ICJ • 2012 UNGA President • 2012 UNSC Related topics Bretton Woods system • Charter • CTBTO • Delivering as One • Flag • Honor Flag • Global Compact • ICC • Laissez-Passer • OPCW • Treaty Series • UN Day • UDHR • MDGs • UN reform  Category •  Portal v t e International Criminal Court (ICC) Legal texts International Rome Statute (amendments) · Agreement on Privileges and Immunities · Agreements on the Enforcement of Sentences · Geneva Conventions · United Nations Charter UN resolutions General Assembly 3314 Security Council 1422 · 1487 · 1593 · 1970 National American Service-Members' Protection Act (United States) · Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act (Canada) · International Criminal Court Act 2001 (United Kingdom) · Twenty-third Amendment of the Constitution (Ireland) · Völkerstrafgesetzbuch (Germany) Crimes Crimes of genocide · Crimes against humanity · War crimes · Crimes of aggression Organisation States parties List of states parties · Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the Assembly of States Parties · Review Conference Court Presidency · Judges (elections: 2003 · 2006 · 2007 · Jan. 2009 · Nov. 2009 · 2011 · next) · Prosecutor Investigations Official Democratic Republic of the Congo · Uganda · Darfur, Sudan · Kenya Complaints Iraq Individuals Detainees · Indictees Other American Non-Governmental Organizations Coalition for the ICC · Coalition for the ICC · European Union and the ICC · United States and the ICC · World Day for International Justice

Herb Kohl
United States Senator from Wisconsin
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1989 Serving with Ron Johnson
Preceded by	William Proxmire
Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging
Incumbent
Assumed office January 4, 2007
Preceded by	Gordon Smith
Personal details
Born	Herbert H. Kohl (1935-02-07) February 7, 1935 (age 77) Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	None
Residence	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin-Madison (B.A.) Harvard Business School (M.B.A.)
Occupation	Business Executive Milwaukee Bucks Owner
Religion	Judaism
Signature
Website	www.kohl.senate.gov
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1958–1964
Unit	Army Reserve

Herbert H. "Herb" Kohl (born February 7, 1935) is the senior United States Senator from Wisconsin and a member of the Democratic Party. He is also a philanthropist and the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks National Basketball Association (NBA) team. He has announced he will not seek re-election in 2012.

Early life, education and career[link]

Kohl was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and attended Washington High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1956 and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School in 1958. While an undergraduate, he joined the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. Between 1958 and 1964, Kohl was a member of the United States Army Reserve.

After finishing graduate school, Kohl worked as an investor in real estate and the stock market, eventually spinning off his own company, Kohl Investments, to manage these assets. He and his brother became heir to a family-owned chain that included 50 grocery stores and several department stores, pharmacies, and liquor stores. In 1970, Kohl was named President of Kohl's and he helped to oversee the merger of his corporation with BATUS Inc. in 1972. Kohl stayed on as an executive until 1979. Before his election to the Senate, Kohl helped build his family-owned business, Kohl's grocery and department stores. He served as president from 1970 until the sale of the corporation in 1979.

In 1985, Kohl purchased the Milwaukee Bucks from Jim Fitzgerald to ensure the team remained in Milwaukee. In 2003, he considered an offer to sell the team to former NBA superstar Michael Jordan, but decided to retain ownership. He was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.

Early political career[link]

Kohl served as Chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party between 1975 and 1977.

U.S. Senate[link]

Committee assignments[link]

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Defense
  • Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
• Committee on Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions
  • Subcommittee on Security and International Trade and Finance
• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs
  • Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security
• Special Committee on Aging (Chairman)

Political positions[link]

Kohl has been described as left-of center and with some libertarian tendencies.^[1]

Kohl supported President Barack Obama's health reform legislation; he voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009,^[2] and he voted for the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.^[3]

Fiscal policy[link]

He has voted in favor of most lawsuit reform measures as well as for rules tightening personal bankruptcy. He has long supported amending the U.S. Constitution to require a balanced budget. He was one of the few Democrats to vote for the tax cut passed in 2001, and he also supported the elimination of the "marriage penalty." Despite these views, he has been seen as generally supportive of progressive taxation. Like many moderate Democrats, he voted in favor of the welfare reform measures in the mid 1990s. He is also not opposed to the creation of individual, private savings accounts to supplement Social Security.^[1]

Kohl has generally had a pro-environmental record and has been an outspoken proponent of American energy independence. He supports increased production of hydrogen cars, establishing a federal goal for reducing oil consumption by 40 percent, and disallowing oil speculation in protected areas. However, he has voted against Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. Kohl has been rated highly by groups that desire universal health care. He has voted in favor of expanding Medicare and SCHIP and has desired that prescription drugs be included under federal health coverage. During his most recent election campaign, Kohl advocated that HMOs be placed under more scrutiny in order to determine if they're effectively delivering care.^[1]

Social policy[link]

Kohl is strongly pro-choice and opposes the death penalty. He is highly in favor of affirmative action and supports setting aside funds for women and minorities. Although he voted in favor of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, Kohl rejected the recent proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman and has supported measures that ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. Kohl has consistently voted against the flag desecration amendment and in recent years has voted against restrictions on travel to Cuba and funding for TV Martí. In 2005 he secured a victory for one of his main causes: requiring handguns to be sold with child safety locks. The amendment was attached to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, with every Democrat and many Republicans voting in favor of the amendment. Earlier in his career, he helped push the Gun-Free Schools Act which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned in 1995 and has submitted many amendments to that effect.^[4] He is a strong supporter of public education and has rejected school vouchers. Kohl has voted in favor of allowing for the establishment of educational savings accounts.

Foreign policy[link]

Kohl has voted against many free trade agreements including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and more recently the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and voted against the Freedom to Farm Act in 1996. However, he has also supported fast tracking trade normalization with China and establishing free trade with some smaller countries of the developing world. He voted in 2002 to authorize military force in Iraq; however, he voted against authorizing the Gulf War in 1990. Kohl has voted on a number of occasions with more liberal Democrats to reduce military spending, voting against 1996 defense appropriations increases and supporting a veto of funding new military projects. Despite having been among the 98 U.S. Senators who voted for the PATRIOT Act, Kohl subsequently opposed this legislation and has voted to require warrants for wiretapping or the detention of prisoners.^[1]

Political campaigns[link]

Kohl won election to the U.S. Senate in 1988 with his trademark catchphrase "Nobody's Senator But Yours".^[5] He was reelected in 1994, 2000 and 2006. He will not seek re-election in 2012.

Electoral history[link]

Personal life[link]

With an estimated net worth in 2005 of $279 million, Kohl is one of the wealthiest U.S. Senators.^[6] He has donated $25 million to the University of Wisconsin–Madison for construction of its new sports arena, which was named the Kohl Center. It was the largest single donation in University of Wisconsin System history.^{[citation needed]} In 1990 he established the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Achievement Award Program, which provides annual grants totaling $100,000 to 100 graduating seniors, 100 teachers and 100 schools throughout Wisconsin.

On May 13, 2011, Kohl announced his retirement and plans to not run for relection in 2012. In this announcement, he said, "The office doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the people of Wisconsin, and there is something to be said for not staying in office too long,"^[7]

References[link]

External links[link]

• United States Senator Herb Kohl official Senate site
• Herb Kohl Educational Foundation
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Profile at SourceWatch

v t e United States Senators from Wisconsin Class 1 Dodge Doolittle Carpenter Cameron Sawyer Mitchell Quarles La Follette, Sr. La Follette, Jr. McCarthy Proxmire Kohl Class 3 Walker Durkee Howe Carpenter Cameron Spooner Vilas Spooner Stephenson Husting Lenroot Blaine Duffy Wiley Nelson Kasten Feingold Johnson