• Ted Stevens was the Republican senator from Alaska, and was the longest-serving republican in the United States Senate. Stevens had served continuously since 1968.

  Stevens was indicted in July 2008, for failure to disclose more than $250,000 in gifts.Department of Justice: U.S. Senator Indicted on False Statement Charges (July 29, 2008) In October 2008, a jury convicted Stevens on all seven felony counts against him. On April 7, 2009, Stevens' conviction was tossed out of court. The judge ruled that Justice Department prosecutors mishandled evidence, dropped the charges against Stevens and began proceedings to investigate six prosecutors in the case.WashingtonPost.com: Judge Tosses Out Stevens Conviction

• 1. Born: November 18, 1923
  2. Assumed office: December 24, 1968
  3. Party: Republican
  4. Ran for re-election in 2008 against Mark Begich
  5. Spouse: Catherine Ann Chandler
  6. Religion: Episcopalian
  7. Veteran of World War II
  8. Former chairman, U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
  9. July 29, 2008: Indicted and charged with multiple counts of making false statements on financial disclosure formsDepartment of Justice: U.S. Senator Indicted on False Statement Charges (July 29, 2008)
  10. October 27, 2008: Convicted on all seven countsCNN: Jury finds Stevens guilty on corruption charges (October 27, 2008)
  11. Endorsed Sarah Palin for vice presidential candidate in the 2008 electionWashington Post: Palin Was a Director of... (September 1, 2008)
  12. Lost his Senate seat to Mark BegichMLive: Stevens loses race to Begich (November 18, 2008)
  13. Steven's guilty verdict dismissed on April 7, 2009WashingtonPost.com: Judge Tosses Out Stevens Conviction
  14. Six prosecutors that allegedly mishandled evidence in the case will be investigatedWashingtonPost.com: Judge Tosses Out Stevens Conviction

• Senator from Alaska

  Stevens has served in government since the 1950s, working with Eisenhower's Interior Department.Ted Stevens for Senate: About Ted Stevens moved to Alaska in 1953 to pursue a job at a law firm in Fairbanks. He soon became the U.S. Attorney for Fairbanks who developed a reputation for being tough on crime. Stevens ran for the Republican nomination for the open senate seat from Alaska in 1968, but lost a tough primary fight. However, he was appointed in December 1968 after the death of Senator Bob Bartlett. He has served in the Senate since 1968, but lost his seat during fierce re-election campaign with Mark Begich which required a vote recount.Ted Stevens for Senate: About Ted

• Alaska Issues

  Stevens has been a strong proponent for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration and drilling. He has also been in favor of increased logging in his state, including a plan that would clear cut 2.4 million acres of old-growth forest.CNN: Stevens leads fight for oil drilling (March 18, 2005) Stevens endorsed Sarah Palin for vice presidential candidate. Palin has served as the director of a 527 fund raising group for Stevens that was criticized for violating ethical, and possibly also legal, rules of campaign contributions.Washington Post: Palin Was a Director of... (September 1, 2008)

• 2008 Election

  Ted Stevens lost his Senate seat after a two-week recount showed challenger Mark Begich ahead by 3,724 votes. Begich beat Stevens by a margin of 47.8% to 46.6%. This is a reversal of the initial vote count, which had Stevens ahead, 48% to 47%.MLive: Stevens loses race to Begich (November 18, 2008)

• Indictment

  On July 29, 2008, Senator Ted Stevens was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to a corruption probe. The indictment alleges that the Alaska Republican did not report renovations done on his home in Girdwood, Alaska, by VECO Corporation. The senator is also accused of hiding hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gifts from VECO Corporation and its CEO, Bill Allen. VECO is an Alaska-based oil services company. The indictment alleges Stevens engaged "in a nearly eight-year scheme to conceal his receipt of more than $250,000 in things of value from VECO Corporation."Department of Justice: U.S. Senator Indicted on False Statement Charges (July 29, 2008)

• The Trial and the Verdict

  Ted Stevens' corruption trial got underway in late September 2008. After weeks of testimony a federal judge dismissed one of the jurors on October 26, 2008, after losing contact with her following her father's death. A new juror was chosen on the following day so the trial could resume, and later that same day, the jury returned a guilty verdict against Stevens on each of the seven felony counts against him.CNN: Deliberations in Stevens trial resume with alternate juror (October 27, 2008)CNN: Jury finds Stevens guilty on corruption charges (October 27, 2008)

  The conviction was later thrown out of court after the Justice Department admitted that prosecutors mishandled evidence. The six prosecutors will be investigated for improper conduct. All seven charges against Stevens were dropped.WashingtonPost.com: Judge Tosses Out Stevens Conviction

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