List of United States Senators Expelled or Censured - Expulsion Proceedings Not Resulting in Expulsion

Expulsion Proceedings Not Resulting in Expulsion

Many expulsion proceedings have been begun by the Senate that did not lead to expulsion. In most cases, the expulsion failed to secure the necessary two-thirds vote; in other cases the Senator in question resigned while proceedings were taking place, presumably because the Senator felt that the proceedings would succeed or that his political career would not survive them regardless. In a few cases, the proceedings ended when a Senator died or his term expired.

Year Senator Party State Result Details
1808 John Smith Democrat-Republican Ohio Not expelled Assisted Aaron Burr's western expedition; resigned two weeks after expulsion failed
1856 Henry Mower Rice Democratic Minnesota Not expelled Charged with corruption
1862 Lazarus W. Powell Democratic Kentucky Not expelled Accused of supporting the Confederacy
1862 James F. Simmons Republican Rhode Island Resigned Charged with corruption
1873 James W. Patterson Republican New Hampshire Term expired Charged with corruption
1893 William N. Roach Democratic North Dakota Not expelled Charged with embezzlement; Senate determined that charges were too far in the past
1905 John H. Mitchell Republican Oregon Died during proceedings Charged with corruption
1906 Joseph R. Burton Republican Kansas Resigned Convicted and upheld by the Supreme Court for receiving compensation for intervening with a federal agency
1907 Reed Smoot Republican Utah Not expelled Senate committee asserted that Smoot, as a Mormon, belonged to a religion incompatible with US law; Senate found 43-27 that this was not relevant.
1919 Robert M. La Follette, Sr. Republican Wisconsin Not expelled Charged with disloyalty for a speech opposing entry into World War I; Senate found 50-21 that this was not warranted
1922 Truman Handy Newberry Republican Michigan Resigned Convicted of election fraud, but overturned, for excessive spending in a primary election.
1924 Burton K. Wheeler Democratic Montana Not expelled Indicted for conflict of interest after serving in legal cases to which the United States was a party. Exonerated by Senate 56-5
1934 John H. Overton Democratic Louisiana Not expelled Investigated for election fraud
Huey Long
1942 William Langer Republican North Dakota Not expelled Charged with corruption and moral turpitude while Governor of North Dakota; full senate voted against expulsion 52-30
1982 Harrison A. Williams Democratic New Jersey Resigned Convicted for bribery and conspiracy in the Abscam scandal; resigned before a vote by the full Senate
1995 Robert W. Packwood Republican Oregon Resigned Charged with sexual misconduct and abuse of power; resigned before a Senate vote
2011 John Ensign Republican Nevada Resigned Charged with financial improprieties stemming from an extramarital affair. Resigned before vote.

Read more about this topic:  List Of United States Senators Expelled Or Censured

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