The Center for Illinois Politics your resource for non-partisan information on our states biggest issues: We'll let you know when we publish new analysis reports and add new data tracking features. Edwards was convicted in 2000 of extorting nearly $3 million from companies that applied for casino licenses. Bentley resigned from office as part of a plea deal involving campaign violations. This article was published more than6 years ago. [15] Following the end of the American Civil War, Alabama during Reconstruction was part of the Third Military District, which exerted some control over governor appointments and elections. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. (1989), Alderman of Chicago Marian Humes (D) convicted of bribery. Kay Ivey, whowas then sworn in as the new governor, inherited a state that is likely casting a suspicious eye on its leaders. He had faced 21 counts. In 2005, Rowland pleaded guilty to a single felony count of "conspiracy to steal honest service" after a corruption scandal. Secondly, it dont sound like a good regular Alabama Baptist or Methodist name. He was indicted along with his wife Tuesday for allegedly taking illegal gifts, vacations and loans while in office, but the governor says he's innocent. Mike Easley (D) - North Carolina Governor, 2001-2009: Although Easley was facing serious accusations from federal authorities (including suspicious travel expenses, favoritism towards family members and campaign finance irregularities) that could have netted him 15 months in prison, his attorneys ultimately cut a deal with prosecutors in 2010 that required him to pay a $1,000 fine and file a guilty plea for breaking campaign finance laws. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Modern sources tend to say Patton left office on July 24, 1868, The date given for Swayne is the date of the first. Jim Guy Tucker (D) - Arkansas Governor, 1992-1996: Tucker was found guilty in 1996 of fraud, conspiracy and of arranging fraudulent federally-backed loans. Well, Folsom began. Former Virginia Gov. hide caption. Tucker was spared prison, in part because of a serious liver illness. Siegelman had attended Georgetown Law School, spent time studying at Oxford and always had his eyes set on the governorship. Once considered a rising national party star, Rowland admitted illegally taking trips and vacations to Las Vegas, Vermont, and Florida, and improvements to his lake cabin. She was sentenced to weekend incarceration, probation and, Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals. Bob McDonnell's place remains to be seen. Either way, in light of the allegations against McDonnell, the first governor in Virginia history to face felony charges, we thought we'd take a look back at other examples of gubernatorial bad behavior in recent decades that resulted in fines, probation or even a prison stint. (1974), Alderman of Chicago Frank Kuta (D) convicted of bribery. He was found guilty of misconduct, suspended and ordered to pay restitution. The four-term governor was sentenced to 100 days in the county jail and three years' probation. Reagan commuted it to time served in 1981. He was removed from office, asked to pay a $211,000 fine and given five years probation. (1908), State Auditor Henry Eckert Youtsey (R) State Auditor, was found guilty of conspiracy in the assassination of Governor, This page was last edited on 21 April 2023, at 00:25. Governors convicted on greater federal corruption offenses (specifically under violations of the Hobbs Act, RICO, the Travel Act, mail or wire fraud, or through establishing a conspiracy to defraud the US government): Rod Blagojevich (D) - Illinois Governor, 2002-2009 (impeached by the Illinois General Assembly): Charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery in 2008. (2002), State Secretary of Finance John Forbes (R) was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he admitted embezzling $4million in tobacco-region economic development money. Don Siegelman, the former Alabama governor who served six years in federal prison for a bribery conviction, will soon be back to practicing law in the state. For the crime of attempting to sell President Obama's former U.S. Senate seat, Blagojevich was found guilty in 2011 of 17 of 24 federal charges against him. The lifestyle he grew accustomed to as governor which included a luxury vacation in Cape Cod worth more than $7,000 is about as far as you can get from where he could be headed next. Alabama Initiative for Independent Journalism. He was sentenced to. The office of lieutenant governor was created in 1868,[23] abolished in 1875,[24] and recreated in 1901. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Alabama's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. re-election by Bob Riley, was convicted in federal court of taking $500,000 to go toward campaign efforts for a constitutional amendment to allow a state lottery. Last year, he requested clemency from President Barack Obama, only to be denied, AL.com reported. Although in 2004 Rowland served only ten months in prison, his 2014 conviction netted him a 30-month sentence to be carried out starting fall 2016. He was also ordered to pay $294,000 back to the U.S. Small Business Administration. He died in 2002, aged 91. Alabama was admitted to the Union on December 14, 1819. He was forced to resign due to the state's no tolerance laws. However, he was released in May 2018. Edwin Edwards (D) - Louisiana Governor, 1972-1996: Convicted in 2001 for crimes including racketeering, extortion, money laundering, mail fraud and wire fraud. Hubbards crimes led to a series of articles by The New Republic magazine, which quoted reporter Bill Britt of the Alabama Political Reporter website: Mike Hubbard has been the overlord of an orgy of greed and corruption like we have never seen . The very first governor of the state of Alabama was Thomas Bibb. Ray Blanton (D) - Tennessee Governor, 1975-1979: Convicted in 1981 of mail fraud, conspiracy and extortion in the selling of liquor licenses throughout his term. DiPrete was indicted in 1994, along with his son, accused of taking close to $300,000 in bribes from contractors in exchange for state contracts. Twelve simplified the process for regaining voting rights, for instance, by eliminating a waiting period or streamlining the paperwork process. The only Democratic governor of the state of Alabama since 1995 was Don Siegelman. Edwin Edwards at a halfway house in January. They found nothing whatsoever as far as state government has been concerned; it's been run honestly and aboveboard.". He was sentenced to 100 days in county jail and three-years probation. But later that year, the parole board pardoned Hunt and restored his voting rights. A look back at the almost 200 years of state history reveals deaths, divorces, legal troubles, jail, and at least one claim of an illegitimate. (1997), Alderman of Chicago Joseph Martinez (D) convicted of fraud. All of the. State Senator Landon Sexton (R) pleaded guilty after 1994 indictment charging that he took an illegal $5,000 cash campaign contribution. It stops with me, and I take responsibility for what has occurred in this incident.". A number of governors have gone to prison. Alabama's parole grant rate between 2013 and 2018 increased from 30 percent to 53 percent. When convicted, Edwards quoted a Chinese proverb: " 'If you sit by a river long enough, the dead bodies of your enemies will float by you.' No time served, minimal fine paid. The charges had been connected to a 1962 affair when the then-governor colluded with the owner of the Arlington Park racetrack to give him favorable race dates in exchange for cheap stocks on the racing company itself. (1983), Alderman of Chicago Stanley Zydlo (D) convicted of extortion. DiPrete served one year in prison. (1974), Alderman of Chicago Thomas Keane (D) convicted of fraud. (1998), Alderman of Chicago Lawrence Bloom (D) convicted of fraud. (2002), State Representative and Democratic Leader of the, President Judge of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas. (2004), State Representative Ronald 'Ronnie' Davis (R) pled guilty to four felony charges of conspiring to sell fake passports and to supplying drugs to his girlfriend (2002), Juvenile Court Judge, Darrell Catron (R) was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to 18 months' probation. Taft, of the storied GOP family, became in 2005 the state's first governor to be convicted of criminal charges. Modern sources disagree on when Watts was removed and arrested, but contemporary news sources report he was arrested on May 3, 1865. State Senator Robert Albert Kohn (R) State Senator from Charleston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribery, and served seven months in prison. She is the second female governor of Alabama. I ask for your help and patience as we together steady the Ship of State and improve Alabamas image.. Sentenced to three years in federal prison, he was eventually pardoned by Pres. William Langer (R/Non-Partisan League) - North Dakota Governor, 1933-1934, 1937-1939: Langer was convicted in 1934 for soliciting political contributions from federal employees. To those who are detractors and there will always be some they should call somebody else to be their lawyer, I suspect, Siegelman said. I suppose the feds sat by the river long enough and here comes my body. Harris, who taught history at the University of California, Santa Barbara, died before completing this book. In addition he was fined $5,000. Flowers said that the record of gubernatorial corruption in recent years might make some aspiring younger politicians think twice about running for the states highest office even as a crowded field of candidates prepares to do just that in 2018. Part of his appeal argument in the meantime was that if he was convicted then so could any other politician who bestowed a favor upon one of his supporters. He was sentenced to 15 consecutive weekends in jail, home detention for two months and probation for two years. Sentenced to two years in prison. Now that Virginia GOP Gov. John G. Rowland (R) - Connecticut Governor, 1995-2004: Rowland was arrested twice under federal charges, once in 2004 in connection with a corruption scheme involving vacations, luxury air charters and home renovations for the then-governor, and again in 2014 for election fraud and obstruction of justice in connection with his role in the campaign of congressional candidate Lisa Wilson-Folley in 2012. Since Alabama became a state in 1819, it has had a total of 54 governors. He was sentenced to more than a year (1989), The Illinois concrete industry was investigated for bribery and six politicians were found guilty. Robert Bentley: Alabama: 2011 - 2017 : Republican: Gov. The disciplinary board includes four lawyers and one lay person who review petitions and decide whether to readmit disbarred attorneys after a hearing. Lurleen Wallace, wife of George Wallace, was the first woman to serve as governor of Alabama, and the third woman to serve as governor of any state. Wallace was out of state for 52 days for medical treatment following an assassination attempt while campaigning for. DiPrete was indicted in 1994, accused of taking close to $300,000 in bribes from contractors in exchange for state contracts. According to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, almost 1,600 people had been released from state prisons from March 2nd to May 4th in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Otto Kerner, Jr. (D) - Illinois Governor, 1961-1968: Kerner had been a sitting judge in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit at the time of his indictment in 1972 for conspiracy, mail fraud, income tax evasion and lying to a grand jury, charges for which he was convicted of in 1973. McDonnell wept as the guilty verdicts were read. Read more. Now a Republican lawyer from Alabama, Jill Simpson, has come forward to claim that the Siegelman prosecution was part of a five-year secret campaign to ruin the governor. In some respects, both Carroll and Flowers believe the attempted cover-ups by Bentley and Hunt were worse than the crimes themselves, much like with Richard Nixons Watergate scandal. (1976). Dan Walker (D) - Illinois Governor, 1973-1977: Walker was convicted in 1987 due to his activities as chairman of the board and CEO of First American Savings and Loans, which involved siphoning money off the bank for personal use, which rendered him charges of perjury, bank fraud and misapplication of bank funds. State Representative Clay Crupper (D) pleaded guilty after 1992 indictment and was fined $10,000 on charges of interstate travel in aide of racketeering. Read more. He was convicted in 2006 along with HealthSouth founder Richard Scrushy on bribery charges. His successor was Israel Pickens, who served as Alabama governor from 1821-25. In 1977, a federal jury found Mandel and five others guilty of defrauding the people of Maryland. Sentenced to two months in prison and four years' probation (1990), Secretary of State Bill McCuen (D) pleaded guilty to bribery, kickbacks, tax evasion and trading in public office. Eleven of the charges stemmed from the seat-selling scheme. Quote: "As governor, I have made it clear that I expect all public employees to follow both the letter and the spirit of the ethics law and have demanded no less from myself. Moore received a prison sentence of just under six years and a $170,000 fine. Evan Mecham (R)- Arizona Governor, 1987-1988: Mecham was ousted from office by the Arizona state legislature in 1988, under suspicion that he had obstructed justice and misused public money. State Representative Richard Turner (R) pleaded guilty to a 1993 charge that he filed a false campaign finance report. Lieutenant Governor Brewer became acting governor on July 25, 1967, and Wallace returned to the state later that day. He was released from federal prison to house arrest in 2017. He was sentenced to three months in a. Living former governors of Alabama As of 26 April 2023, there are five living former governors of Alabama, the oldest being Fob James (served 19791983, 19951999, born 1934). Siegelman served one term as Alabama governor, from 1999-2003. Instead of granting his wish, a judge added five years to his sentence and suggested he get a new job to help repay the more than $200,000 he owed the state. One time Wallace was asked by a reporter about giving road contracts to his friends, Flowers said. [2] The governor and lieutenant governor are not elected on the same ticket. The four-term governor, 72 years old at the time, received a 10-year sentence, his 35-year-old wife at his side. Gun Death Rate; Study Blames Weak Laws, High Ownership, New Book Explores Stories of Early African American Activists in Birmingham, In Brandon Miller Case, Blaming the Media Is Way Too Simple, Sometimes You Shouldnt Stay Out of the Story, Foundations, Individuals Support Public Service Journalism. State Representative John Wall (R) was convicted of conspiracy to extort money from employees of Crown Personnel, Inc., connected with the labor department's program to find jobs for Vietnam veterans through private employment agencies. George C. Wallace was a four-time governor of Alabama and three-time presidential hopeful. I wanted to get my license back so that I can help other people, he said in a phone interview with AL.com. You need to change your name. First term under the 1901 constitution, which lengthened terms to four years. In April 2012, Wilson pleaded guilty to illegally shifting money to make political donations. [17] This limit remained in place until the constitution of 1868, which simply allowed governors to serve terms of two years. art. Though the charges were grave, he did not serve a prison term due to suffering from a serious liver disease. Today is both a dark day in Alabama, but yet also its one of opportunity, the 72-year-old Republican said in a brief speech. Quote: "I caused it all. Quote: Upon resigning after the verdict, he said, "I've never been one to linger and I don't intend to now. George W. Bush. The shortest term for a non-acting governor was that of Hugh McVay, who served four and a half months after replacing the resigning Clement Comer Clay. During sentencing Matricardi was forced to resign, spend three years on probation and fined $10,000. Flowers said that todays tougher ethics laws have had a lot to do with the fate of Bentley, Siegelman and Hunt. Sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison in Sep. 2006, Ryan was released in 2013. College student charged with hazing after allegedly smearing peanut butter on allergic peer, Doctor who drugged his wife, left her to die in bathtub, found dead at Utah prison, Alabama Gov. And nobody expected Bentley to be governor. Though Mrs. Barrons name was eventually dropped from the conviction, Mr. Barron ultimately plead guilty to conspiracy, bribery and obstruction of justice, therefore being sentenced to 25 years in federal prison - of which he served four. At the start of Samford's term, he was out of state seeking medical treatment; President of the Senate Jelks acted as governor in his absence. Mason was one of Bentleys advisers and wife of Jon Mason, who until Tuesday was the head of Bentleys Office of Faith-Based and Volunteer Services. William D. Jelks also served non-consecutive terms, but his first term was in an acting capacity. One contemporary source states Martin withdrew in the final days of the election, Chapman lost the Democratic nomination to. Hunt of Alabama Cleared by Pardon Board", "Robert Bentley, Alabama Governor, Resigns Amid Scandal", Governors and executives of U.S. states and territories, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_governors_of_Alabama&oldid=1151830712, Lists of state governors of the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 April 2023, at 14:24. He died in 2015, aged 92. All rights reserved. But I would say that in the past 25 years, and especially in the past two years, that weve surpassed Louisiana.. There was a problem subscribing. Roger B. Wilson (D) - Missouri Governor, 2000-2001 (finished term of previous governor, who died in office): Sentenced in 2012 to a $2,000 fine and two years in probation for illegally funneling political contributions to the Missouri Democratic Party through the Missouri Employers Mutual Company, for which Wilson was CEO at the time - crime thus wasnt committed during his term. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. In 1940, he was elected to the US Senate, a position he held until his death in 1959. hide caption. Sources, even contemporary reporting, disagree on when Smith succeeded Patton. The fugitivefled the "demanding state" to avoid arrest or prosecution. David Hall (D) - Oklahoma Governor, 1971 - 1975: Hall was charged in 1975 of federal racketeering and extortion charges involving paying to sway investments towards a state retirement fund. Symington was convicted of bank fraud, making false financial statements and extortion, much of which was related to a failing real estate business. Charges against Moore stemmed from a nearly $600,000 payment he extorted from a coal operator in return for a refund of millions from the state's black lung fund for miners. [26] Earlier constitutions said the powers of the governor devolved upon the successor, rather than them necessarily becoming governor,[27] but the official listing includes these as full governors. Records are scarce as to when Bibb was actually appointed. The very first governor of the state of Alabama was Thomas Bibb, whose term as the first governor of the state started on July 10, 1820. He pleaded no contest to four misdemeanor ethics counts for failing to report gifts of more than 50 golf outings, dinners and other largesse. Mecham was acquitted and went on to unsuccessfully run for office two more times in Arizona. And thirdly, dont you know you cant steal any money in that job?. Ryan was released from prison in 2014 after serving five years. Prosecutors dropped additional charges when he pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws. [16], The first Alabama Constitution, ratified in 1819, provided that a governor be elected every two years, limited to serve no more than 4 out of every 6 years. Although he got out in 2008 on an appeal bond, Siegelmans long legal battle (which even involved an email where Al Gore reached out to the ex-governors supporters and asked them to donate to his diminishing defense fund) culminated with the US Supreme Court refusing to hear his appeal case. Non-profit, non-partisan BirminghamWatch depends on donors to support its public service journalism. But, of course, George Wallace becameAlabamas most infamous governor, most notably for fighting segregation. Moore had already been under the crosshair of legal authorities since the 1970s, when he and a top aide were implicated in an extortion conspiracy involving a state bank charter and $25,000, though they were both acquitted in 1976. In a 1993 deal that infuriated Oklahomans, Walters pleaded guilty to one of the eight felony counts he faced for allegedly violating campaign contribution laws, perjury, and conspiracy to hide donations. The latest of . 2022 Center for Illinois Politics. [25] According to the current constitution, should the governor be out of the state for more than 20 days, the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor, and if the office of governor becomes vacant the lieutenant governor ascends to the governorship. Former Louisiana Gov. He died in 2015, aged 95. Joel Aldrich Matteson (D) - Illinois Governor, 1853-1857: Matteson was charged in 1859 for fraudulently claiming a scrip (a sort of IOU or warranty document) for work done on a local canal improvement project for himself, the scrip being worth over $200,000. This is the story, and the stories of early African American activists who are largely unknown today, that Carl V. Harris tells in his new book Segregation in the New South: Birmingham, Alabama, 1871-1901. (Gerald Herbert/ Associated Press) Alabama, whose former governor Don Siegelman was sent up the river in 2006, seemed like a. He was sentenced to three months in a halfway house, probation and was fined $5,000. He died in 2012, aged 72. He had faced up to 15 months in prison, but prosecutors agreed to no jail time and a $1,000 fine plus court costs. Arch A. Moore, Jr. (R) - West Virginia Governor, 1969-1977 and 1985-1989: Moore was convicted in 1990 of widespread corruption charges involving extortion, mail fraud, obstruction of justice and filing false income tax returns throughout his 1984 and 1988 re-election campaigns. Siegelman, a Democrat who served one term from 1999 to 2003 before being defeated for. DiPrete served one year in prison. He narrowly lost re-election in 2002 to Republican Bob Riley. (1974), Alderman of Chicago Joseph Potempa (D) convicted of bribery. In 1971, however, Barron and his wife were again accused by federal authorities of tampering with the 1968 jurys decision by paying its foreman, one Ralph Buckalew, to be the lone holdout against the former governors conviction. Since becoming a state in 1818, 43 people have served as governor of Illinois; before statehood, it had only 1 territorial governor, Ninian Edwards. Aint nobody in Opp going to vote for some boy named Siegelman. . I am ashamed to be here today, and I accept full responsibility for my actions.". He is the Caligula of Alabama. He was removed from office, asked to pay a $211,000 fine and given five years probation. Bentley is the third governor to be found guilty of criminal charges relating to official duties and the second to prematurely end his term because of such charges. More poignantly, he was accused of attempting to sell former IL senators Barack Obama newly vacant seat for personal financial benefits. Bentley and Hunt are what I would label as accidental governors. Hunt should never have been the governor it should have been either Bill Baxley or Charlie Graddick. Federal prosecutors in 1990 were ready to try Moore on charges of extortion, mail fraud, tax fraud and obstruction of justice. It was the product of a long and tortuous push and pull between blacks seeking justice and whites seeking control. He is best remembered for his 1960s segregationist politics. Daniel Walker (1973-1977 . 609 likes, 33 comments - Rep. Anna V. Eskamani (@annaforflorida) on Instagram: ""The fallout came fast when Florida Gov. [20] Amendment 282 to the constitution, passed in 1968, allowed governors to succeed themselves once; a governor serving two consecutive terms can run again after waiting out the next term. After all, three of the states past six governors have been found guilty of various crimes. Edwin Edwards Once, as recounted in Of Goats & Governors, he met former Alabama governor James Big Jim Folsom (D) and asked for campaign advice. The constitutional start date for 1911 was January 16. David L. Walters (D) - Oklahoma Governor, 1991-1995: Plead guilty in 1995 to one out of eight felony charges, including alleged campaign contribution violations, perjury and conspiracy to hide donations. [3] It had only one governor appointed by the President of the United States before it became a state; he became the first state governor. Later that year, though, his luck finally changed he received a full pardon from the state parole board. Herbert Hoover in 1930 and passed away in 1938. He was sentenced to one year in a minimum security prison the first governor to go to prison from the little state known for big corruption. He was the last Democrat elected to the position, and the only person in state history to serve as attorney general, secretary of state, lieutenant governor and governor. He was convicted of bribery and extortion and spent 19 months out of a three-year sentence in prison.

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