David Koehler (born December 16, 1948) is a Democratic politician from Illinois, and has been the

Illinois State Senator The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the I ...

from 46th Legislative District since December 2006. The district includes

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ente ...

East Peoria East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

, Fairview, Lewistown,

Mapleton Mapleton may refer to: Places Australia * Mapleton, Queensland, a rural town and locality in the Sunshine Coast Region Canada * Mapleton, New Brunswick, a rural community in Kings County * Mapleton, Moncton, New Brunswick, a neighborhood * Maple ...

, Peoria, Pekin and West Peoria.

Biographical background

Koehler was born and raised in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large po ...

. He graduated from

Yankton College Yankton College is a former private liberal arts college in Yankton, South Dakota, United States, affiliated with the Congregational Christian Churches (later the United Church of Christ). Yankton College produced nine Rhodes Scholars, more than a ...

in South Dakota (Bachelor of Arts, 1971) and

United Theological Seminary United Theological Seminary is a United Methodist seminary in Trotwood, Ohio. Founded in 1871 by Milton Wright (father of the Wright brothers), it was originally sponsored by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. In 1946, members ...

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County, Ohio, Greene County. The 2020 United S ...

(

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and di ...

). He was a staff member at the National Farm Worker Ministry (NFWM) from 1972 to 1978 working in Arizona, Ohio, New York, and eventually at the

United Farm Workers The United Farm Workers of America, or more commonly just United Farm Workers (UFW), is a labor union for farmworkers in the United States. It originated from the merger of two workers' rights organizations, the Agricultural Workers Organizing ...

La Paz headquarters in Keene, California. He moved to

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria Metropolitan Area in Ce ...

in 1978, and became a community organizer manager and for the Peoria Friendship House, a local charity. He became executive director of the Peoria Area Labor Management Council (PALM) in 1985, and president of its Labor Management Cooperative Health Programs in 1992. His wife is Nora Sullivan. They live in Peoria, and started Peoria Bread Company, a

bakery A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who w ...

, in 2006. Koehler is a retired minister in the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximatel ...

Political career

Koehler was on the

Peoria County Peoria County is located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The 2020 United States Census listed its population at 181,830. Its county seat is Peoria. Peoria County is part of the Peoria, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Peoria County was ...

Board from 1982 to 1988, and Peoria City Council from 1989 to 1997. While on the city council, he was mayor pro tem for two years. Koehler was elected to the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

in November 2006; his predecessor, George Shadid, retired in December 2006, allowing Koehler to take office in on December 3, 2006. He was re-elected

uncontested John_Carpenter_was_disqualified,_prompting_his_teammates_John_Taylor_(athlete).html" ;"title="John_Carpenter_(athlete).html" "title="Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres">men's 400 metres running in a walkover. Americ ...

in 2010. In early 2010, Koehler and other lawmakers called for the elimination of the position of Illinois Lieutenant Governor. After candidate

Scott Lee Cohen The 2010 Illinois gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic Governor Pat Quinn was elected to a full term in office, having become governor in 2009 following the impeachment and removal of Governor Rod Blago ...

, the Democratic primary winner for Lieutenant Governor, dropped out, Koehler applied to be considered for that seat as running mate in Governor Pat Quinn's first election campaign after succeeding to the governorship.

Sheila Simon Sheila J. Simon (born March 13, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, from 2011 to 2015. In 2014, she was the Democratic nominee for Illinois State Comptroller, losing to Republican incumbent J ...

was selected by the Democratic State Central Committee instead, and won the election. During the

96th Illinois General Assembly The 96th Illinois General Assembly convened on January 14, 2009 and adjourned ''sine die'' on January 11, 2011. Over that period, the Illinois Senate was in session for 144 legislative days, and the Illinois House was in session for 165 legislativ ...

, Koehler was the

chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vari ...

of the Local Government Committee and of the Subcommittee on Fertilizers and Chemicals (of the Agriculture and Conservation Committee). He is also Vice-Chair of the Energy Committee. In the 97th General Assembly, he was once again chair of the Local Government Committee and chair of vice-chair of the Energy Committee. Saying he had a good team and was pleased by the results, Sen. Koehler defeated his Republican opponent for a second four-year term in the Nov. 2012 general election, Peoria-area businessman and developer Pat Sullivan, by a margin of 39,149 to 31,684 — or a 55 percent to 45 percent margin, with Tazewell County unable to provide complete results late Tuesday. His priorities are pension reform and tax code changes, civil unions, passing of concealed carry, and containing the budget and a backlog of unpaid bills. Koehler was reelected to a fourth term in 2016. In 2018,

J.B. Pritzker Jay Robert "J. B." Pritzker (born January 19, 1965) is an American billionaire businessman, philanthropist, and politician serving as the 43rd governor of Illinois since 2019. A member of the wealthy Pritzker family, which owns the worldwide ...

appointed Koehler to Powering Illinois’ Future transition committee, which is responsible for infrastructure and clean energy policies. He defeated Mary Burress in the 2020 general election, winning a fifth term in the Illinois State Senate. As of July 2022, Senator Koehler is a member of the following Illinois Senate committee: * Agriculture Committee (SAGR) * (Chairman of) Appropriations - Agriculture, Environment & Energy Committee (SAPP-SAAE) * Appropriations - Health Committee (SAPP-SAHA) * Appropriations Committee (SAPP) * Education Committee (SESE) * Energy and Public Utilities Committee (SENE) * Health Committee (SHEA) * Labor Committee (SLAB) * (Co-chairman of) Labor - Special Issues Committee (SLAB-SLSI) * Redistricting - East Central and Southeastern Illinois Committee (SRED-SRSE) * Redistricting - Northern Illinois Committee (SRED-SRNI) * (Chairman of) Redistricting - West Central Illinois Committee (SRED-SRWC) * Subcommittee on Next Generation Nuclear (SENE-SNGN) * Subcommittee on Managed Care Organizations (SHEA-SMCO) * (Chairman of) Subcommittee on Public Health (SHEA-SHPH)

References

External links

Biography, bills and committees
at the 98th Illinois General Assembly **By session
98th97th

96th95th94thState Senator David Koehler
constituency site *
Senator Dave Koehler
at Illinois Senate Democrats {{DEFAULTSORT:Koehler, Dave 1948 births Living people American clergy County board members in Illinois Illinois city council members Democratic Party Illinois state senators People from South Dakota Politicians from Peoria, Illinois United Church of Christ ministers United Theological Seminary alumni 21st-century American politicians Peoria, Illinois City Council members