Former Oregon Sen. Bob Packwood Dies at 93
- Portland Observer
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
Packwood’s political career ended under the shadow of sexual misconduct allegations
(AP) Former U.S. Sen. Bob Packwood, a moderate Oregon Republican whose long political career was overshadowed by a sexual harassment scandal that forced his resignation, has died at age 93.
Packwood died Saturday, according to an obituary released by his family. No additional details were provided.
A dominant figure in Oregon politics for nearly three decades, Packwood was known as a social moderate and fiscal conservative who often broke with his party. Elected to the Senate in 1968 at age 36, he became one of the nation’s leading Republican supporters of abortion rights and earned praise from women’s advocacy groups, including Planned Parenthood.
The great-grandson of a delegate to Oregon’s 1857 Constitutional Convention, Packwood built a reputation as an independent-minded lawmaker willing to challenge both party leaders and Republican presidents. He briefly considered a run for president in 1980 and rose to national prominence as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
As chairman and later ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, Packwood became one of Congress’ most influential tax writers. He played a key role in crafting the Tax Reform Act of 1986, a sweeping overhaul that lowered the top income tax rate while eliminating numerous deductions and loopholes. Packwood often described himself as willing to fight for his conclusions, even when it meant opposing his own party.
“I would like to think that I am nobody’s lackey,” he told The Associated Press in 1992.
Throughout his career, Packwood was variously described as a maverick, political survivor, boat-rocker and loose cannon. His reputation as an effective legislator and dealmaker helped him win five Senate terms.
But his political legacy was permanently altered after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced shortly after his 1992 reelection.
In 1992, The Washington Post reported claims from former employees and acquaintances who accused Packwood of making unwanted sexual advances. More than two dozen women ultimately came forward with allegations.
The Senate Ethics Committee launched an investigation in 1993 that expanded beyond sexual misconduct claims to include allegations that Packwood solicited jobs from lobbyists for his ex-wife, attempted to pressure accusers into silence and obstructed the investigation by altering his personal diaries.
The diaries became central to the case. After an extraordinary Senate debate, lawmakers voted 94-6 to enforce a subpoena requiring Packwood to turn them over. He challenged the order in federal court but ultimately lost, including an appeal that reached Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
Facing mounting pressure, Packwood resigned from the Senate in September 1995 after 27 years in office.
Though he initially resisted calls to step down, Packwood later said he did not want the scandal to define his life. He moved into lobbying, founding Sunrise Research Corp. in Washington, D.C., in 1997. The firm became highly successful, generating millions of dollars in revenue during its peak years.
Even after leaving office, Packwood remained engaged in public policy debates. As partisan divisions in Congress deepened, he argued for a more centrist approach to politics and advocated nonpartisan election reforms in Oregon.
Yet for many, his accomplishments remained inseparable from the misconduct allegations that ended his Senate career.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, who won the special election to replace Packwood in 1996, said Packwood’s record on abortion rights and tax reform was significant but could not be separated from his treatment of women.
“His horrible history as documented in his own diaries will forever overshadow that public record,” Wyden said in a statement. “Simply put, historians’ first line about Bob Packwood must include those women who he abused and assaulted for years and years.”
Packwood spent his later years dividing his time between Oregon and Washington with his wife, Elaine Franklin, his former chief of staff who later became a political consultant.
In a 2002 interview with the Salem Statesman Journal, Packwood said he had moved beyond the scandal that forced him from office and was focused on continuing his life and work.
“I told myself I was not old enough to retire,” he said. “So, I have got to get at life and not complain about it.”
Packwood’s career remains one of the most consequential and complicated in modern Oregon political history — marked by major legislative achievements, a reputation for independence and a scandal that ultimately overshadowed both.
