Herb Kohl Dead at 88 Years Old

(RepublicanDaily.org) – Herb Kohl, the former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks as well as a former U.S. senator, has passed away at the age of 88.

News outlets put the cause of death as an unspecified “brief illness.”

Kohl rose to fame from a relatively normal and ordinary neighborhood in Sherman Park, Milwaukee, eventually becoming a highly-successful retail shopping entrepreneur. The Kohl’s department store chain is still active in the U.S. today, and is managed by members of the family.

He also ran and won a seat on the U.S. Senate for four terms, and also became even more ingrained in popular consciousness when he became the owner of the NBA basketball team, the Milwaukee Bucks, in 1985.

He set up a foundation called the Herb Kohl Philanthropies, in order to give back to the community. The foundation’s director, JoAnne Anton, described Kohl as a down to earth person and someone who was not afraid to connect to people, regardless of their background or social status.

“Herb Kohl always put people first,” Anton said. Kohl was one who always kept people and their families in mind, she added, down from his employees to the thousands of people touched and helped by his “countless charitable organizations and efforts.”

Anton said that Kohl leaves behind a legacy of “humility, commitment, compromise, and kindness.”

Adam Silver, the current commissioner of the National Basketball Association, described Kohl as a “dear friend” and cited his invaluable contribution to the league during his stint as the Bucks’ owner. Silver related that through Kohl’s efforts, the Bucks remained in Milwaukee and when Kohl eventually sold the team, he still gave back to the community by donating $100 million to the construction of a new arena.

Kohl was also one of the few players in U.S. politics that was quiet and reserved, and never sought out the spotlight, but still worked behind the scenes where it counted. During his tenure as U.S. Senator, Kohl was involved in several key legislations involving the dairy industry in the country.