Patrick Welch

For other people named Patrick Welch, see Patrick Welch (disambiguation).

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
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

Early life

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]

Illinois Senate

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.

Death

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]