Bob Packwood, the former U.S. senator from Oregon who rose to chair the powerful Senate Finance Committee before an ethics scandal ended his career, died Saturday at age 93. Family members said Packwood passed away in a hospice facility in California.
His family released an obituary, and his wife, Elaine Franklin, shared a private message announcing his death, according to OPB. "It is with great sadness that I share the news that Senator Packwood passed away earlier today," Franklin wrote, the outlet reported. A family friend told OPB that Packwood died at a hospice facility in California where he and his wife owned a home.
Senate Probe and Resignation
In 1992, a series of stories in The Washington Post triggered a congressional inquiry that culminated in a nearly 200-page report. The Senate Ethics Committee concluded that Packwood had committed at least 18 instances of sexual misconduct between 1969 and 1990 and that he tried to obstruct the panel's investigation, according to Congress.gov. The committee recommended that Packwood be expelled from the Senate, and he resigned the following day rather than face a vote.
A Lawmaker Who Bucked His Party
Packwood won election to the U.S. Senate in 1968 and, at 36, was the chamber's youngest member, according to Britannica. Over the following decades he cultivated a reputation as a Republican maverick, backing abortion rights and environmental protections such as those for the Columbia River Gorge, while helping shape national tax policy from his perch on the Finance Committee. He was one of only two Senate Republicans to vote against the confirmation of Clarence Thomas in 1991, according to the U.S. Senate.
After Washington: Lobbying and Influence
After leaving the Senate, Packwood moved fully into the world of Washington influence, working as a lobbyist and adviser on tax and estate issues. The Washington Post later described him as an influential figure in those campaigns. In Oregon, he kept a lower public profile but continued to turn up at Republican gatherings and in policy circles.
A Complicated Legacy in Oregon
In his home state, Packwood's legacy remains complicated. He is credited with major policy wins and with helping to found the Oregon GOP's Dorchester Conference, yet the ethics report and his resignation have cast a long shadow over how he is remembered, OPB reports. His family's obituary describes a life of public service that touched many, while both critics and supporters continue to weigh his achievements against the misconduct that ended his Senate career.
