Top

Anchorage Daily News

August 10, 2010 by · Comments Off on Anchorage Daily News 

Anchorage Daily News, Former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), died from a plane crash last night outside of Dillingham, Alaska. He was 86 years old. He leaves behind his wife, Catherine, and five children from his first marriage to Ann – Ben, a former state senator, Susan, Beth, Walter, Ted Jr., and Lily, his daughter Catherine.

Stevens was the senior Republican member in the United States Senate in its history, having won the first elections to the same in 1968.

[TPM PRESENTATION: The Alaska senator:] Ted Stevens’ political career

According to a profile in the Anchorage Daily News, Stevens’s political career began volunteering for the Eisenhower presidential campaign in 1952 while working at a law firm in DC-based: he went to take a job that was offered in the Department of Interior, who then failed to materialize. He accepted a job offer with a law firm in Alaska instead, leading to Fairbanks in February 1953. Stevens had the job offer from Charles Stevens because he was the lawyer Clasby DC, Clasby client, Emil Usibelli coal mining.

Stevens was only 6 months of work to Clasby before he was offered the post of U.S. Attorney the territory of Alaska, and the Senate confirmed him in 1954. Stevens built a reputation as an aggressive prosecutor, but denied that regularly accompanies the U.S. Marshall Islands in raids packing heat, telling the Anchorage Daily News in 1994:

Stevens was considered a master of pork barrel politics, bringing home many intended to foster state. But in 2007, the FBI began investigating a series of renovations to the Stevens home by oil services company VECO founder Bill Allen. Stevens was indicted in 2008 on charges not presented the gifts, was sentenced shortly before the 2008 elections and lost the race.

Following the election, an FBI informant appeared to plead lack proseuctorial, including Hold the intention of testing. Brand new Attorney General, Eric Holder, presented a motion to quash the conviction and dismiss the indictment, later dropped the charges against Stevens.

Although many people will remember for a little over Stevens scandal that ended his career, including some of the most committed Democrats in the state shed tears for him and his family. There are very few politicians who can say he helped found a state or served so long.

Bottom