Sheila Simon
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Sheila J. Simon (born March 13, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 46th
lieutenant governor of Illinois The lieutenant governor of Illinois is the second highest executive of the State of Illinois. In Illinois, the lieutenant governor and governor run on a joint ticket and are directly elected by popular vote. Gubernatorial candidates select their ...
, from 2011 to 2015. In 2014, she was the Democratic nominee for
Illinois State Comptroller The Comptroller of Illinois is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Illinois. Ten individuals have held the office of Comptroller since the enactment of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, replacing t ...
, losing to Republican incumbent
Judy Baar Topinka Judy Baar Topinka (; January 16, 1944 – December 10, 2014) was an American politician and member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party from the U.S. State of Illinois. Originally a journalist, Topinka served in the Illinois ...
. Simon is the daughter of former U.S. Senator
Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...
, who had previously served as Lieutenant Governor of Illinois (1969–1973), and his first wife, former
Illinois State Representative The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representative ...
Jeanne Hurley Simon. She currently serves as a professor of law at the
Southern Illinois University School of Law Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School (SIU Law) is one of four public law schools in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, it is the only law school in the southern region of Illinois. History The Southern Illino ...
.


Education and pre-political career

Sheila Simon received a B.A. in 1983 from
Wittenberg University Wittenberg University (officially Wittenberg College) is a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio. It has 1,326 full-time students drawn from 33 states and 9 foreign countries. Wittenberg University is associated with the Evangelical ...
and a J.D. in 1987 from
Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...
. Following law school, she worked as a staff attorney at a
legal aid Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right ...
clinic, the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation from 1987 to 1992, providing legal services to indigent clients. She was an associate at the firm of O'Neill & Colvin in Carbondale, Illinois, from 1992 to 1994Association of American Law Schools Directory of Law Teachers 1300 (2010–11). and then served as an assistant state's attorney in
Jackson County, Illinois Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois with a population of 52,974 at the 2020 census, the county is located 98 miles southeast of St. Louis. Its county seat is Murphysboro, and its most populous city is Carbondale ...
from 1994 to 1998, where she prosecuted
DUI Driving under the influence (DUI) is the crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while one is impaired from doing so safely by the effect of either alcohol (see drunk driving) or some other drug, whether recreational or ...
s and
domestic battery Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. In a broader sense, abuse including nonphysical abuse in such settings is called domestic abuse. The term "domestic violence" is often use ...
cases. Simon is currently a law professor at Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School, and serves as the school’s Associate Dean. Along with several other attorneys and with the support of school faculty, Simon helped to inaugurate Southern Illinois University's law school domestic violence clinic in 1998. She worked as a clinical assistant professor at Southern Illinois University School of Law from 2000 to 2005 and was promoted to clinical associate professor in 2005.


Political career

Simon was on the Carbondale
city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
from 2003 to 2007 and unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Carbondale in 2007. Subsequently, Governor Quinn selected her to serve on the Illinois Reform Commission, which helped to establish the first political contribution limits in Illinois law. The Reform Commission consisted of 15 members from a wide variety of backgrounds, from attorneys, business owners, academics and even a football coach. The Commission issued a 100-day report after holding hearings across the state and examining ethics regulations in states across the country. On October 28, 2019, State Treasurer
Mike Frerichs Michael W. Frerichs (; born July 28, 1973) is an American politician serving his third term as the State Treasurer of Illinois, after taking office on January 12, 2015. Before being elected treasurer, he was a Democratic member of the Illinois S ...
nominated Simon to serve as a member of the Charitable Trust Stabilization Committee. 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 ...
confirmed Simon's appointment on May 26, 2021.


Lieutenant Governor of Illinois

On March 27, 2010, Illinois Democratic leaders, in the form of the 38-member Democratic State Central Committee, selected Simon to be Illinois Governor Pat Quinn's running mate in the November 2010 general election, despite her not appearing as a candidate in the original primary election, as the candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. Simon replaced Scott Lee Cohen on the ballot after Cohen, who won the February 2010 Democratic primary, withdrew amid controversies involving his personal life. Among potential candidates, Simon beat out Illinois State Rep. Art Turner, who had come in second in the primary to Cohen. According to the Quinn/Simon campaign, the pairing of Gov. Quinn and Sheila Simon was appropriate, as the two worked together successfully in achieving the passage of campaign finance law, and have many shared goals and political viewpoints. Simon was sworn in on January 10, 2011.


State Senate campaign

On September 7, 2015, Simon announced her candidacy for the Illinois Senate seat being vacated by the retiring David Luechtefeld. Simon was defeated by her Republican opponent Paul Schimpf.


Personal life

Simon and her husband, Perry Knop, were married in 1987. Knop is a
Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
professor and the Social Science department chair at
John A. Logan College John A. Logan College is a public community college in Carterville, Illinois. It is part of the Illinois Community College System. As of 2022, it had a total enrollment of 3,272 students. History John A. Logan College was established in 1967 ...
, the Carterville community college that serves the Carbondale area. In 2010, they had two daughters in college, and hosted a female exchange student from Peru. Simon has been in the band Loose Gravel for over ten years. She plays
banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...
and
bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...
.


See also

*
List of female lieutenant governors in the United States As of February 17, 2025, there are 22 women currently serving (excluding acting capacity) as lieutenant governors in the United States. Overall, 127 women have served (including acting capacity). Women have been elected lieutenant governor in 40 ...


References


External links

*
Illinois Lieutenant Governor websiteColumn archive
at ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Sheila 1961 births Living people Lieutenant governors of Illinois Illinois lawyers Illinois city council members Wittenberg University alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni People from Carbondale, Illinois Southern Illinois University Carbondale faculty Illinois Democrats Women city councillors in Illinois 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century Illinois politicians 21st-century American women politicians 20th-century American women lawyers