Former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore., takes his seat for the Senate Finance Committee hearing on "Getting to Yes on Tax Reform: What Lessons Can Congress Learn from the Tax Reform Act of 1986?" on Tuesday, Feb. 10 …
Bob Packwood, a former Oregon Republican senator whose career ended after multiple allegations of sexual harassment, has died at 93.
Packwood’s death was announced Saturday by his family, but no cause of death was released.
Elected in 1968, Packwood was known for being a champion for abortion rights and was backed by Planned Parenthood and other women’s groups throughout the country.
Many people described him as independent and outspoken, who was established as socially moderate and fiscally conservative, and often voted across party lines.
Sexual harassment allegations
Two weeks after winning reelection in 1992, The Washington Post printed allegations involving Senator Packwood.
In 1993, the Senate Ethics Committee launched an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Packwood. Over two dozen former employees and acquaintances accused him of making unwanted sexual advances to them.
The probe would go on to include other acts of official misconduct while he was in office. The committee looked into allegations that he solicited jobs from lobbyist for his ex-wife, used his staff to try to force his accusers to keep quiet and obstructed the investigation by altering his personal diaries.
Initially he refused to quit, but eventually resigned from Congress in 1995.
What they're saying:
Packwood was replaced by Sen. Ron Wyden in 1996. Wyden said how Packwood treated women would overshadow everything he did for abortion rights and tax reform.
"His horrible history as documented in his own diaries will forever overshadow that public record. Simply put, historians’ first line about Bob Packwood must include those women who he abused and assaulted for years and years," Wyden said in a statement.
Life after senate
After leaving congress, in 1997, Packwood began a lobbying business in Washington, Sunrise Research Corp. Within a couple of years, the first was bringing in $1.5 million a year. Business would eventually slow down, but he remained in Washington lobbying for several clients.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by The Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.