Bob Packwood

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Robert William Packwood
United States Senator from Oregon
In office January 3, 1969 – October 1, 1995
Preceded by	Wayne Morse
Succeeded by	Ron Wyden
Born	September 11, 1932 (1932-09-11) (age 76) Portland, Oregon, United States
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Georgie Packwood (divorced)
Religion	Unitarian Universalist

Robert William "Bob" Packwood (born September 11, 1932) is an American politician from Oregon and a member of the Republican Party. He was forced to resign from the United States Senate, under threat of expulsion, in 1995 after allegations of sexual harassment, abuse, and assault of women emerged.

[edit] Early life and career

[edit] Lawyer turned legislator

Packwood was born in Portland, Oregon, and is the great-grandson of William H. Packwood, the youngest member of the Oregon Constitutional Convention of 1857.^[1] He graduated from Willamette University in Salem in 1954 where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.^{[citation needed]} Packwood graduated from the New York University School of Law in 1957. He was admitted to the bar in 1957 and practiced law in Portland. He was a member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly from 1963 to 1968.

[edit] U.S. Senator

Packwood was elected to the Senate in 1968, defeating Wayne Morse. He was reelected in 1974, 1980, 1986 and 1992. Packwood chaired the powerful Senate Finance Committee from 1985 to 1987, when he was instrumental in passage of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, and again in 1995. He was chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, 1979-1980. His voting record was moderate. He introduced the Senate's first abortion legalization bill in 1970, and his pro-choice stance earned him the loyalty of many feminist groups,^[2] and the opposition of pro-life groups. He supported restrictions on gun owners and liberal civil rights legislation. In 1987 Packwood crossed party line to vote against the nomination of Robert Bork into the Supreme Court, and he was one of only two Republicans to vote against the nomination of Clarence Thomas into the court. In 1993 he was the only Senator to vote against mandatory life imprisonment for persons convicted of a third violent felony.^[3]

In 1988, Packwood was dragged feet-first into the Senate Chamber for a quorum call on campaign finance reform legislation.^[4]

[edit] Road to resignation

[edit] Sexual misconduct allegations

Packwood's political career began to unravel in November 1992, when a Washington Post story detailed the claims of sexual abuse and assault by 10 women, chiefly former staffers and lobbyists.^[5] Publication of the story was delayed until after the election, as Packwood had denied the allegations and the Post had not gathered enough of the story to go to press with it at the time^[6][7] Packwood defeated Democrat Les AuCoin 52.1% to 46.5%. Despite having supported Packwood throughout his career for his generally liberal voting record, left-of-center interest groups, e.g. National Organization for Women, endorsed his opponent.^{[citation needed]}

As the situation developed, Packwood's diary became an issue. Wrangling over whether the diary could be subpoenaed and whether it was protected by the Fifth Amendment's protection against self-incrimination ensued. He did turn over 5000 pages to the Senate Ethics Committee but balked when a further 3200 pages were demanded by the committee. It was discovered that he had edited the diary, removing what were allegedly references to sexual encounters and the sexual abuse allegations made against him. Packwood then made what some of his colleagues interpreted as a threat to expose wrongdoing by other members of Congress. The diary allegedly detailed some of his abusive behavior toward women and, according to a press statement made by former Nevada Senator Richard Bryan, other, possibly criminal activities.^[8]

[edit] Expulsion recommendation and resignation

Notwithstanding public pressure for open and public hearings, the Senate ultimately decided against public hearings. With pressure mounting against him, Packwood finally announced his resignation from the Senate on September 7, 1995,^[9] after the Senate Ethics Committee unanimously recommended that he be expelled from the Senate for ethical misconduct. (The Ethics Committee membership is evenly divided between both parties.)

[edit] After the U.S. Senate

Soon after leaving the Senate, Packwood founded a lobbying firm called Sunrise Research Corporation. Among other projects, he played a key role in the 2001 fight to repeal the estate tax.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Congressional Biography
• Text of the Senate's resolution for investigation, May 17, 1995.
• "Packwood Is Leaving As a Pariah In His State", The New York Times

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