Lawrence to honor Feingold

APPLETON - Lawrence University plans to present former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold with an honorary degree during its June commencement.

The university says it will present Feingold with a Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the June 5 ceremony.

“Sen. Feingold exemplifies the ‘responsible and meaningful citizenship’ that Lawrence University values, that is central to our mission and that we would like our students to observe in action,” Lawrence President Jill Beck said in a news release. “As we celebrate the commencement of the Class of 2011, we are honored to be doing so with a thoughtful and humane leader who exemplifies integrity and independent thinking.”

Feingold, a Democrat and native of Janesville, was first elected to the Senate in 1992, defeating incumbent Bob Kasten. He served until 2011 after he was defeated by Ron Johnson.

Feingold earned notoriety for his work on campaign finance reform and advocating a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. He was the only Senator to vote against the Patriot Act in 2001.

He was also known for conducting annual "listening sessions" in each of Wisconsin's 72 counties.