Sheila Simon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sheila Simon
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Simon in 2010
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| 46th Lieutenant Governor of Illinois | |
| In office January 10, 2011 – January 12, 2015 |
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| Governor | Pat Quinn |
| Preceded by | Pat Quinn (2009) |
| Succeeded by | Evelyn Sanguinetti |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 13, 1961 Springfield, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Perry Knop
(m. 1987) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents | Paul Simon Jeanne Hurley |
| Education | Wittenberg University (BA) Georgetown University (JD) |
Sheila J. Simon (born March 13, 1961) is an American politician. She served as the 46th lieutenant governor of Illinois from 2011 to 2015. In 2014, she ran for Illinois State Comptroller but did not win.
Sheila Simon is the daughter of Paul Simon, who was a U.S. Senator and also a Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. Her mother was Jeanne Hurley Simon, a former Illinois State Representative.
Today, Sheila Simon is a law professor at the Southern Illinois University School of Law.
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Sheila Simon's Early Life and Education
Sheila Simon studied at Wittenberg University, earning her bachelor's degree in 1983. She then went to Georgetown University Law Center and became a lawyer in 1987.
After law school, she worked at a place called the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation from 1987 to 1992. Here, she helped people who needed legal help but couldn't afford it.
Later, from 1994 to 1998, she worked as a lawyer for the government in Jackson County, Illinois. She handled various legal cases during this time.
In 1998, Sheila Simon helped start a special clinic at Southern Illinois University's law school. This clinic helped people dealing with difficult family situations. She taught at the law school from 2000 onwards.
Sheila Simon's Political Journey
Sheila Simon started her political career by serving on the Carbondale city council from 2003 to 2007. A city council is a group of people who make decisions for a city.
After that, Governor Pat Quinn asked her to join the Illinois Reform Commission. This group helped create new rules about how much money people could donate to political campaigns in Illinois. The commission had 15 members from different backgrounds. They held meetings across the state to learn about ethics rules.
More recently, in 2019, she was asked to join the Charitable Trust Stabilization Committee. The Illinois Senate approved her for this role in 2021.
Becoming Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
On March 27, 2010, Sheila Simon was chosen to be Governor Pat Quinn's running mate. A running mate is the person who runs for Lieutenant Governor alongside the candidate for Governor. The Lieutenant Governor is like the second-in-command for the state.
She was chosen after the person who won the first election for Lieutenant Governor decided to step down. Governor Quinn and Sheila Simon had worked together before on important laws, and they shared many ideas. Sheila Simon officially became Lieutenant Governor on January 10, 2011.
Running for State Senate
In 2015, Sheila Simon decided to run for a seat in the Illinois State Senate. However, she was not elected, and her opponent, Paul Schimpf, won the election.
Sheila Simon's Personal Life
Sheila Simon is married to Perry Knop, and they got married in 1987. Her husband is a professor of Political Science at John A. Logan College.
In 2010, they had two daughters who were in college. They also hosted an exchange student from Peru. Sheila Simon is also a musician! She has been in a band called Loose Gravel for over ten years, where she plays the banjo and bassoon.
See also
- List of female lieutenant governors in the United States
