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Politicians in Trouble or Disgrace

Politicians in Trouble or Disgrace: Obscenity and Swearing
Profane language; indecent publications


See the trouble and disgrace main page, as well as the FAQ and the Political Graveyard privacy policy, for important explanations and disclaimers.

in chronological order

  William Stanbery (1788-1873) — of Newark, Licking County, Ohio. Born in Essex County, N.J., August 10, 1788. Lawyer; member of Ohio state senate, 1824-25; U.S. Representative from Ohio 8th District, 1827-33; censured by the Congress for use of unparliamentary language, July 11, 1832. Died in Newark, Licking County, Ohio, January 23, 1873 (age 84 years, 166 days). Interment at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Newark, Ohio.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  Robert Wilson (1793-1856) — also known as "Honest Bob" — of Texas. Born in Easton, Talbot County, Md., December 7, 1793. Served in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812; delegate to Texas Convention of 1832 from District of San Jacinto, 1832; served in the Texas Army during the Texas War of Independence; member of Texas Republic Senate from District of Harrisburg and Liberty, 1836-38, 1839; candidate for President of the Texas Republic, 1838, 1843; delegate to Texas state constitutional convention, 1845. Member, Freemasons. Expelled from Texas Republic Senate, December 26, 1838, for using profanity and disclosing secrecy; subsequently returned to office. Died May 25, 1856 (age 62 years, 170 days). Original interment in private or family graveyard; reinterment at Glenwood Cemetery, Houston, Tex.
  Joseph Barker (c.1806-1862) — of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pa. Born in Allegheny County, Pa., about 1806. Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pa., 1850-51; defeated, 1851, 1852. In 1849, after an anti-Catholic speech, he was arrested, charged with using obscene language, obstructing the streets, and causing a riot, convicted, and sentenced to a year in prison; elected mayor in 1850 while still incarcerated. While mayor, he was twice arrested on charges of assault and battery. In 1851, he was convicted of riot. Struck and killed by a railroad train, in Ross Township, Allegheny County, Pa., August 2, 1862 (age about 56 years). Interment at Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pa.
  John Ward Hunter (1807-1900) — also known as John W. Hunter — of Brooklyn, Kings County, N.Y. Born in Bedford (now part of Brooklyn), Kings County, N.Y., October 15, 1807. Democrat. U.S. Representative from New York 3rd District, 1866-67; mayor of Brooklyn, N.Y., 1874-75. Censured by the U.S. House of Representatives in 1867 for the use of unparliamentary language. Died in Brooklyn, Kings County, N.Y., April 16, 1900 (age 92 years, 183 days). Interment at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, N.Y.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Edward Dexter Holbrook (1836-1870) — also known as Edward D. Holbrook — of Idaho City, Boise County, Idaho. Born in Elyria, Lorain County, Ohio, May 6, 1836. Lawyer; Delegate to U.S. Congress from Idaho Territory, 1865-69. Censured by the House of Representatives in 1869 for use of unparliamentary language. Shot and mortally wounded by Charles H. Douglas, and died the next day, in Idaho City, Boise County, Idaho, June 18, 1870 (age 34 years, 43 days). Interment at Masonic Burial Ground, Idaho City, Idaho.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Thomas Edward Watson (1856-1922) — also known as Thomas E. Watson — of Thomson, McDuffie County, Ga. Born in Columbia County, Ga., September 5, 1856. Son of John S. Watson and Ann Eliza (Maddox) Watson. Lawyer; member of Georgia state house of representatives, 1882-83; Presidential Elector for Georgia, 1888; U.S. Representative from Georgia 10th District, 1891-93; candidate for Vice President of the United States, 1896; Populist candidate for President of the United States, 1904, 1908; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 1912; controversial for his writings attacking the Catholic Church; arrested in 1912 on obscenity charges over three chapters in his book The Catholic Hierarchy; tried and acquitted in 1916; U.S. Senator from Georgia, 1921-22; died in office 1922. Died September 26, 1922 (age 66 years, 21 days). Interment at Thomson Cemetery, Thomson, Ga.
  Cross-reference: John I. Kelley
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article
  Larry Flynt (b. 1942) — also known as "The King of Smut" — of California. Born in Salyersville, Magoffin County, Ky., November 1, 1942. Democrat. Owner of night clubs; publisher of Hustler, a pornographic magazine; convicted in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1977 on obscenity and organized crime charges, and sentenced to 25 years in prison, but the verdict was overturned on appeal; shot by a sniper in Lawrenceville, Georgia, 1978, and paralyzed from the waist down; candidate for Governor of California, 2003. Atheist. Still living as of 2009.
  Relatives: Married 1976 to Althea Leasure (1953-1987).
  See also Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier — Internet Movie Database profile
  Jello Biafra (b. 1958) — also known as Eric Reed Boucher; "Occupant"; "Count Ringworm" — of San Francisco, Calif. Born in Boulder, Boulder County, Colo., June 17, 1958. Son of Stanley Boucher and Virginia Boucher. Co-founder, lead singer, and songwriter for the punk rock band Dead Kennedys (1978-86); founder of the Alternative Tentacles record label; candidate for mayor of San Francisco, Calif., 1979; charged, in Los Angeles in 1986, with distributing obscene "harmful matter" in the form of a sexually explicit print distributed with a Dead Kennedys record album; following a trial, the jury deadlocked, a mistrial was declared, and charges were dismissed; Biafra went on to become a spoken word performer; on May 7, 1994, he was assaulted and injured at a music club in Berkeley, Calif., by five or six attackers who called him a "sellout". Atheist. Still living as of 2009.
  Relatives: Married, October 31, 1981, to Therese Soder.
  Campaign slogan: "There's always room for Jello."
  Personal motto: "Don't hate the media, become the media."
  See also Wikipedia article — NNDB dossier — Internet Movie Database profile — OurCampaigns candidate detail
  Mary Carey (b. 1981) — also known as Mary Ellen Cook — of California. Born in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, June 15, 1981. Actress in pornographic movies; Independent candidate for Governor of California, 2003; arrested in April 2005 during a raid on a strip club in Lakewood, Wash.; charged with touching herself while dancing; pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentence. Female. Still living as of 2008.
  See also Wikipedia article — Internet Movie Database profile
  Mark E. Musselwhite (b. 1966) — of Gainesville, Hall County, Ga. Born March 13, 1966. Republican. Mayor of Gainesville, Ga., 2006; arrested for public indecency in June 2009, when he was found nude and intoxicated at a public camp site in Rabun County, Ga. Still living as of 2009.

 

 


 
   
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The Political Graveyard

The Political Graveyard is a web site about U.S. political history and cemeteries. Founded in 1996, it is the Internet's most comprehensive free source for American political biography, listing 234,420 politicians, living and dead.
 
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