Paul Sarbanes is one of the most prominent politicians to even come from Maryland. Sarbanes was a member of the United States Congress for well over 30 years. Eventually becoming one of its most influential members.
Many people might know his name from the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. A bill he spearheaded with Republican U.S. Representative Mike Oxley of Ohio. The bill implemented significant reforms to federal securities laws.
Sarbanes passed away on December 6, 2020
Paul Sarbanes has died, reports The Baltimore Sun. A cause of death was not disclosed.
He was 87. But it was stated that Sarbanes had 'passed away peacefully this evening.' He was apparently in Baltimore, Maryland, at the time.
Sarbanes began his political career in the Maryland House of Delegates, in which he served two terms. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 4th Congressional District. After a re-districting, he was elected twice from Maryland's 3rd Congressional District.
Sarbanes was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1976. He had defeated the incumbent, J. Glenn Beall Jr. Beall, a prominent political family member in Maryland. Sarbanes would be re-elected to the Senate four times. Eventually, he rose to become chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.
He also became well-known for his vehement protection of the Chesapeake Bay. Much of which is located on the eastern coast of Maryland.
In 2006, Sarbanes announced his impending retirement. At the time he retired, he was the longest-serving U.S. senator in Maryland history. He was later very narrowly eclipsed by Barbara Mikulski.
Mikulski had previously succeeded Sarbanes as the representative from the 3rd District. The race to succeed him was won by U.S. Representative Ben Cardin. Cardin had succeeded Mikulski in the 3rd District.
Was a first-generation American
Paul Sarbanes was the son of immigrants. His parents, Spyros and Matina, emigrated to the United States from Greece.
They would open a restaurant in Salisbury, Maryland. It was there that Paul was born and eventually graduated from Wicomico High School.
Later, Sarbanes would graduate from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs. Afterward, he was a recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship. The scholarship led to him attending the University of Oxford's Balliol College in England. While there, he was a member of Oxford's men's basketball team. Including helping them win a national championship in 1956.
A devoted member of the Greek Orthodox Church, Sarbanes married Christine Dunbar in 1960. They would have three children. Christine passed away in 2009. Their son, John Sarbanes, is the current U.S. representative from Maryland's 3rd District. He was first elected in 2006.
