Jim Bunning

A Representative and Senator from Kentucky; born in Southgate, Ky., October 23, 1931; attended parochial schools in Southgate and Cincinnati, Ohio; B.S., Xavier University, Cincinnati 1953; professional baseball player 1950-1971; investment broker and agent; member, Ft. Thomas City Council 1977-1979; Kentucky State senate 1979-1983; elected as a Republican to the One Hundredth and to the five succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1987-January 3, 1999); not a candidate for reelection to the House of Representatives in 1998, but was elected to the United States Senate in 1998; reelected in 2004 and served from January 3, 1999, to January 3, 2011; was not a candidate for reelection to the Senate in 2010. Bunning grew up in the Cincinnati area and signed with the Detroit Tigers out of Xavier University, eventually reaching the major leagues in 1955. The sidearming right-hander led the American League with 20 wins and 267 1/3 innings in 1957, his first full season in the big leagues, and threw his first no-hitter the following year. He made seven All-Star teams with the Tigers before being traded to the Phillies following the 1963 season. He crafted a perfect game Father's Day in 1964, the first perfect game for a National League pitcher in 84 years. After brief stints with the Pirates and Dodgers, Bunning returned to Philadelphia to finish out his career in 1970-71. By the time Bunning was voted into the Hall of Fame by the veterans' committee in 1996, he already had served 10 years in the House of Representatives. He won a Senate seat in 1998 and represented Kentucky for 12 years before deciding not to seek reelection in 2010. Bunning and his wife Mary Catherine had nine children and continued to live in Southgate, Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati, after returning from Washington.