Patrick Welch
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| Member of the Illinois Senate from the 38th district | |
| In office January 12, 1983 – January 12, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | John E. Grotberg[1][2] |
| Succeeded by | Gary G. Dahl |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Patrick Daniel Welch (1948-12-12)December 12, 1948 Chicago, Illinois |
| Died | January 7, 2020(2020-01-07) (aged 71) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Peru, Illinois |
| Alma mater | Chicago-Kent College of Law Southern Illinois University |
| Profession | Attorney |
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Patrick Daniel Welch (December 12, 1948 – January 7, 2020) was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 38th district from 1983 to 2005. He served as an Assistant Majority Leader during his final term.[3]
Patrick Welch was born on December 12, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois. He attended college earning a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Southern Illinois University and a J.D. degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Chicago-Kent College of Law.[3]
Welch first entered the Illinois Senate after winning what was thought to be a strongly Republican district against Betty J. Hoxsey in the closest Illinois Senate election of 1982.[4][5] During his time in the Illinois Senate he was appointed to the Illinois Task Force on Global Climate Change,[6] and proposed saving taxpayers money by eliminating the office of Lieutenant Governor of Illinois[7] During his tenure Welch was a perennial target of the Illinois Republican Party,[8] but managed to defeat major efforts to unseat him including a $500,000 spending effort in 1990 and a 700 vote margin of victory in 1994. He lost election in 2004 to Gary G. Dahl.
He died of complications of a stroke on January 7, 2020, at age 71. He was also suffering from dementia prior to his death.[9]
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