Dick Durbin

Richard Joseph Durbin is an American lawyer and politician, serving as the senior United States senator from Illinois since 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, Durbin is currently in his fifth Senate term and has held the position of Senate Democratic whip since 2005. He is also the Senate majority whip since 2021 and chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. Durbin was born on November 21, 1944, in East St. Louis, Illinois. He graduated from the School of Foreign Service and the Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to his Senate career, Durbin served in the U.S. House of Representatives for seven terms after being elected in 1982.