Impeachment History: UIC University Library
|| William Clinton || Richard Nixon || Andrew Johnson ||
Nine American Presidents to date have had impeachment charges filed against them in
the House of Representatives: John Tyler, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, Herbert
Hoover, Harry S. Truman, Richard M. Nixon, Ronald W. Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and William Clinton. Of
these, only two -- William Clinton and Andrew Johnson -- were actually
impeached by the House of Representatives. A third President, Richard Nixon, would
probably also have lost an impeachment vote in the House of Representatives if he
had not resigned. Here is a closer look at the three American Presidents who have come
nearest to being impeached and removed from office:
William Jefferson Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, began his term of office
on January 20, 1993. On May 6, 1994, a sexual harassment lawsuit was filed against President Clinton by Paula Jones,
based on an incident alleged to have occurred on May 8, 1991 while Clinton
was governor of Arkansas. During the Jones' case, Clinton's lawyer used
Monica Lewinsky's false affidavit that denied sexual relationship
with Clinton. However, in January 1998, Clinton's affair with Lewinsky
was disclosed by Linda Tripp. On January 16, 1998, Independent Counsel
Kenneth W. Starr was appointed to investigate President Clinton's conduct
in the Lewinsky matter. On August 17, 1998, before a Grand Jury led by
Starr, President Clinton lied under oath about his relationship with
Lewinsky. On December 19, 1998, the House of Representative voted to
impeach the president with two articles:
- Perjury and false and misleading testimony and statements under oath
before the federal grand jury;
- engaging in a course of conduct or scheme to delay and obstruct
justice.
The President now faces an impeachment trial in the Senate. (For more information, see Clinton.)
Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, served from January 20, 1969 until
his resignation on August 9, 1974. In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee recommended impeachment proceedings against him.
The reasons for the impeachment recommendation included:
- covering up White House involvement in the Watergate break-in
- abuse of Presidential power
- refusing to comply with Judiciary Committee subpoenas
If President Nixon had not resigned before official impeachment proceedings could begin, it is
considered likely that he would have lost an impeachment vote in the House and would have faced an
impeachment trial in the Senate. (For more information, see Nixon.)
Andrew Johnson, the 17th President of the United States,
served from April 15, 1865 to March 3, 1869 and was the first President ever to have
been impeached by the House of Representatives. The reasons for his impeachment included:
- removing from office the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, without Senate approval
- criticizing Congress in a loud voice
After impeachment by the House, Johnson underwent an 3-month impeachment trial by the Senate,
which ended in May 1868 when the Senate failed to impeach Johnson. The margin of the
failure to impeach was only one vote. (For more information, see Johnson.)
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Last updated: Saturday, 06-Mar-2004 13:10:23 CST
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