Kenneth V. Buzbee (November 30, 1937 – June 5, 2025) was an American politician and businessman. Buzbee served as a Democratic member of 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 ...

from 1973 to 1985.

Life and career

Born in

Anna, Illinois Anna is the largest city and retail trade center in Union County, Illinois, United States. Located in Southern Illinois, its population was 4,303 at the 2020 United States census, a decline from 5,135 in 2000. It is known for being tied to its cl ...

, Buzbee received his bachelor's degree in communication and his master's degree in political science from

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of T ...

where he was a member of

Phi Kappa Tau Phi Kappa Tau (), commonly known as Phi Tau (), is a collegiate fraternity located in the United States. The fraternity was founded in 1906. As of May 2024, the fraternity has 161 chartered chapters, 83 active chapters, 7 associate chapters, a ...

Fraternity. He served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

and was commissioned a lieutenant colonel. He worked for the

Illinois Eastern Community Colleges The Illinois Eastern Community Colleges is a community college district headquartered in Olney, IL, with college campuses located in Olney, Fairfield, Robinson, and Mount Carmel. Description Illinois Eastern Community Colleges District #529 ( ...

and for the

Illinois Secretary of State The secretary of state of Illinois is one of the six elected executive state offices of the government of Illinois, and one of the 47 Secretary of State (U.S. state government), secretaries of state in the United States. The Illinois secretary of ...

. Buzbee served in the

from 1973 to 1985. While in the Senate, Buzbee was a member of the Democratic Study Group, a group of between eight and eleven independent Democrats dubbed the ''"Crazy 8"'' by political observers. With the Crazy 8, he was able to leverage himself a position as the chairman of the Appropriations II committee. In 1984, Buzbee lost the Democratic primary for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

to Kenneth J. Gray. After his time in the Senate, he would be lobbyist representing the

City of Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

during Harold Washington's mayoralty. In 1992, Buzbee ran for Illinois Senate in the 58th district against Republican incumbent Ralph A. Dunn. Despite the apparent Democratic lean of the district, Dunn defeated Buzbee's comeback effort. Upon taking office as

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, Jesse White hired Buzbee to serve as the Director of Business Services. Buzbee died on June 5, 2025, at the age of 87.

Notes

1937 births 2025 deaths People from Anna, Illinois Military personnel from Illinois Southern Illinois University alumni Businesspeople from Illinois Democratic Party Illinois state senators 20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly {{Illinois-statesenator-stub