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Dec 2, 2020 · George Washington issued the first presidential pardon in 1795 after the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. Encyclopedia Britannica. There are many different types of clemency that fall under the president’s power. They include: pardon, amnesty, commutation, and reprieve.
- The Whiskey Rebels
- Brigham Young
- Fitz John Porter
- Eugene v. Debs
- Jimmy Hoffa
- Richard Nixon
- Patty Hearst
The first-ever act of presidential forgiveness came in the wake of an armed rebellion. Fed up with a costly federal tax on distilled spirits, in 1794 a group of whiskey-producing Pennsylvania farmers took to the streets and burned the home of a local tax inspector. The attack came on the heels of several other protests and many politicians—most not...
Brigham Young founded Salt Lake City and served as an early leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormon Church), but he also ran afoul of federal law for his renegade behavior on the western frontier. Young led the Latter-day Saints to Utah in the 1840s and later served as the territory’s first governor. But ...
In 1868, all former Confederate soldiers received a presidential pardon, but it took another 18 years before U.S. General Fitz John Porter was exonerated for his role in the Civil War. A career soldier, Porter was disgraced by his loss at 1862’s Second Battle of Bull Run. During the engagement, he was slow to react to contradictory orders from Majo...
Socialist politician Eugene Debs garnered nearly 1 million votes in the 1920 presidential election, even though he conducted his campaign from the inside of a jail cell. The famed labor organizer and pacifist had been arrested in 1918 after he gave a speech questioning U.S. involvement in World War I and encouraging resistance to the military draft...
One of the 20th century’s most famous labor leaders, James R. Hoffawas also the recipient of a particularly controversial presidential pardon. As president of the influential Teamster union, Hoffa scored several critical victories for workers including securing a national trucking contract in 1964. That same year, after a series of government inves...
Richard Nixon famously resigned from office in August 1974 amid accusations of malfeasance related to the Watergate scandal. But while there was a possibility that Nixon could have been prosecuted and even jailed, he was granted a full pardon by new President Gerald Fordonly weeks after stepping down. Ford’s offer of clemency came before Nixon had ...
In 1974, the granddaughter of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst was kidnapped and held for ransomby a radical guerilla group calling itself the Symbionese Liberation Army. While the 19-year-old heiress began her ordeal as a hostage, she soon shocked the world by announcing that she had voluntarily joined the ranks of her captors. Taking the...
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In 1795, Washington granted the first pardons to John Mitchell and Philip Weigel, who were convicted of treason for their roles in the Whiskey Rebellion. The insurrection broke out in western...
Republican president Gerald Ford pardoned, commuted, or rescinded the convictions of 409 people. Among them are: Richard Nixon – granted a full and unconditional pardon in 1974 just before he could be indicted in the Watergate scandal. This was the only time that a U.S. president received a pardon.
Pardons granted by presidents from George Washington until Grover Cleveland's first term (1885–1889) were hand written by the president. After typewriters came to be used for regular White House business, pardons were prepared for the president by administrative staff requiring only that the president sign them. Modern process
Jun 8, 2018 · The Most Prominent Presidential Pardons in History. The Report. A History of Presidential Pardons. Some presidents have used their pardon power aggressively. By Kenneth T. Walsh...
Aug 8, 2023 · By Erin Blakemore. August 08, 2023. • 9 min read. Presidential pardons are once again in the news as Donald Trump—former president and likely GOP candidate for the 2024 presidential...
