Bob Packwood Dies at 93 After 1995 Senate Resignation in Sex Scandal
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 6
Bob Packwood Dies at 93 After 1995 Senate Resignation in Sex Scandal
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 6
Summary
Bob Packwood, a former Oregon Republican senator, died Saturday in Rancho Mirage, California, at 93; his wife, Elaine Franklin, confirmed the death.
Packwood resigned in 1995 after the Senate Ethics Committee unanimously recommended expulsion over aggressive sexual advances toward more than 20 women, including staff members.
His diaries became key evidence, documenting predatory behavior and boasting of relationships with women he supervised.
The case unfolded years before #MeToo and was unusually consequential: only 15 senators have ever been expelled, and Packwood would have been the first since the Civil War.
His downfall carried added political tension because the moderate Republican had also been a prominent supporter of abortion rights and other women's issues.