Paul Douglas (Illinois politician)

Paul Douglas
Douglas c. 1959
United States Senator from Illinois
In office January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1967
Preceded by	Charles W. Brooks
Succeeded by	Charles H. Percy
Member of the Chicago City Council from the 5th ward
In office 1939–1942
Preceded by	James J. Cusack Jr.
Succeeded by	Bertram B. Moss
Personal details
Born	Paul Howard Douglas (1892-03-26)March 26, 1892 Salem, Massachusetts, U.S
Died	September 24, 1976(1976-09-24) (aged 84) Washington, D.C., U.S
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Dorothy Wolff ​ ​ (m. 1915; div. 1930)​ Emily Taft ​ (m. 1931)​
Children	4
Alma mater	Bowdoin College Columbia University Harvard University
Profession	Politician economist
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1942–1945
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Bronze Star Purple Heart (2)
Academic career
Doctoral advisor	Edwin Robert Anderson Seligman
Doctoral students	Martin Bronfenbrenner

Paul Howard Douglas (March 26, 1892 – September 24, 1976) was an American politician and Georgist economist.^[1] A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. senator from Illinois for eighteen years, from 1949 to 1967. During his Senate career, he was a prominent member of the liberal coalition.^[2]

Born in Massachusetts and raised in Maine, Douglas graduated from Bowdoin College and Columbia University. He served as a professor of economics at several schools, most notably the University of Chicago, and earned a reputation as a reformer while a member of the Chicago City Council (1939–1942). During World War II, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel and becoming known as a war hero.

He first married Dorothy Wolff in 1915. They had four children. He divorced her in 1930 and a year later married Emily Taft Douglas, a U.S. representative from Illinois's At-large district (1945–1947).