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Politicians in Trouble or Disgrace

Politicians in Trouble: I

See the trouble and disgrace main page, as well as the FAQ and the Political Graveyard privacy policy, for important explanations and disclaimers. Joseph Andrew Iasigi (1848-1917) — also known as Joseph A. Iasigi — of Boston, Suffolk County, Mass. Born in Massachusetts, January 15, 1848. Consular Agent for France in Boston, Mass., 1873-77; Consul-General for Turkey in Boston, Mass., 1889-97; he failed to account for a trust fund, refused to answer questions, and fled to New York City; arrested there in February 1897 and extradited to Boston; charged with embezzlement of about $220,000; pleaded not guilty; tried and convicted in November 1897; sentenced to 14-18 years in prison; pardoned in 1909. Armenian and French ancestry. Died in Brookline, Norfolk County, Mass., January 24, 1917 (age 69 years, 9 days). Interment at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Mass.   Relatives: Son of Joseph Iasigi and Eulalie (Loir) Iasigi; brother of Oscar Anthony Iasigi; married 1881 to Marie P. Homer; uncle of Nora Iasigi (who married William Marshall Bullitt).   Political family: Bullitt family (subset of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).   See also Find-A-Grave memorial   Image source: Boston Globe, February 14, 1897   Charles Richard Imbrecht (1949-2000) — also known as Charles R. Imbrecht — of Ventura, Ventura County, Calif.; Sacramento, Sacramento County, Calif. Born in Ventura, Ventura County, Calif., February 4, 1949. Republican. Lawyer; member of California state assembly 36th District, 1976-82; candidate for California state senate 18th District, 1982. Lutheran. Pleaded guilty in 1997 to charges of drunk driving and marijuana possession and served one month in jail. Died, apparently from a heart attack, in Pasadena, Los Angeles County, Calif., January 18, 2000 (age 50 years, 348 days). Interment at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park, Ventura, Calif.   Relatives: Son of Earl Richard Imbrecht and Hazel Victoria (Berg) Imbrecht; married, September 23, 1979, to Alida Margit Bergseid. Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899) — also known as Robert G. Ingersoll; "The Great Agnostic"; "American Infidel"; "Impious Pope Bob" — of Peoria, Peoria County, Ill.; Washington, D.C. Born in Dresden, Yates County, N.Y., August 11, 1833. Lawyer; Democratic candidate for Illinois state house of representatives 5th District, 1860; colonel in the Union Army during the Civil War; charged about 1864 with assault and battery against the Peoria County Sheriff; tried; the jury was deadlocked and could not reach a verdict; the case was dismissed before a new trial could be held; Illinois state attorney general, 1867-69; delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1876; made the nominating speech which dubbed James G. Blaine as "The Plumed Knight". Agnostic. Died in Dobbs Ferry, Westchester County, N.Y., July 21, 1899 (age 65 years, 344 days). Cremated; ashes interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.; statue erected 1911 at Glen Oak Park, Peoria, Ill.   Relatives: Son of Rev. John Ingersoll and Mary (Livingston) Ingersoll; brother of Ebon Clarke Ingersoll; married, February 13, 1862, to Eve Amelia Parker; uncle of John Carter Ingersoll; second cousin thrice removed of Jonathan Ingersoll and Jared Ingersoll; third cousin twice removed of Charles Jared Ingersoll, Joseph Reed Ingersoll, Ralph Isaacs Ingersoll and Charles Anthony Ingersoll; fourth cousin once removed of Laman Ingersoll, Colin Macrae Ingersoll and Charles Roberts Ingersoll.   Political families: Ingersoll family of New Haven, Connecticut; Ingersoll family of New Haven, Connecticut (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).   See also NNDB dossier   Books about Robert G. Ingersoll: Orvin Larson, American Infidel: Robert G. Ingersoll   Image source: William C. Roberts, Leading Orators (1884)   William Montross Inglis (1875-1932) — also known as William M. Inglis — of Seattle, King County, Wash. Born in Clyde Township, St. Clair County, Mich., January 7, 1875. Republican. Colonel in the U.S. Army during World War I; delegate to Republican National Convention from Washington, 1924, 1928 (alternate). Killed by a single gunshot behind his ear, under mysterious circumstances, and posthumously accused of attempted murder, in Seattle, King County, Wash., October 22, 1932 (age 57 years, 289 days). The only witness, Mary Nash, who shared the apartment, said that he had been despondent and drinking heavily; that she had hidden his pistol, but he had found it; that without warning, he shot her twice (she was badly injured but survived), and then immediately killed himself; investigators questioned her story, and thought he might have been murdered, but she was not charged. Interment at Lake View Cemetery, Seattle, Wash.   Relatives: Son of John Jacob Inglis and Martha Ann (Montross) Inglis; married to Anne Hughes.   See also Find-A-Grave memorial Samuel Insull (1859-1938) — of Chicago, Cook County, Ill.; Kenilworth, Cook County, Ill.; near Libertyville, Lake County, Ill. Born in London, England, November 11, 1859. Republican. Associate of Thomas Edison and executive of electric utilities; one of the founders of the company that became General Electric; also had major holdings in railroads; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1904; when his utility holding company collapsed, wiping out the stockholders, he fled the country; indicted in 1932 on fraud and embezzlement charges; ultimately extradited from Turkey in 1934; tried in Chicago and found not guilty. Congregationalist. Member, Union League. Died from a heart attack, in the Place de la Concorde station on the Paris Métro subway system, Paris, France, July 16, 1938 (age 78 years, 247 days). Interment at Putney Vale Cemetery, London, England.   Relatives: Son of Samuel Insull and Emma (Short) Insull; married, May 24, 1899, to Margaret A. Bird.   Cross-reference: Forest A. Harness   See also Wikipedia article   Image source: Time Magazine, November 29, 1926   William White Irvin (1779-1842) — also known as William W. Irvin — of Lancaster, Fairfield County, Ohio. Born near Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Va., April 5, 1779. Democrat. Lawyer; common pleas court judge in Ohio, 1803-04; impeached and removed from office as judge by the state legislature, 1804; member of Ohio state house of representatives, 1806-07, 1825-27; Speaker of the Ohio State House of Representatives, 1825-26; justice of Ohio state supreme court, 1811-18; candidate for Governor of Ohio, 1822; U.S. Representative from Ohio 9th District, 1829-33. Member, Freemasons. Died in Lancaster, Fairfield County, Ohio, March 27, 1842 (age 62 years, 356 days). Interment at Elmwood Cemetery, Lancaster, Ohio.   Relatives: Son of William Joseph Irvine and Elizabeth (Holt) Irvine; married, February 2, 1813, to Elizabeth Brown Gillespie (sister-in-law of Philemon Beecher).   Political family: Beecher-Irvin-Gillespie family of Lancaster, Ohio.   See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial   Gilbert H. Isbister (1900-1958) — of Port Huron, St. Clair County, Mich. Born in Port Huron, St. Clair County, Mich., July 9, 1900. Republican. Served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War I; St. Clair County Register of Deeds, 1925-34; candidate for Michigan state treasurer, 1934; member of Michigan state senate 11th District, 1939-42; defeated in primary, 1942; alternate delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1940; charged on July 20, 1946 (along with 18 other legislators) with accepting bribes to vote against a banking bill, but the entire case collapsed when the star prosecution witness, Charles F. Hemans, refused to testify. Died in 1958 (age about 57 years). Burial location unknown.

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