James A. Traficant
| James Traficant | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 17th district |
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In office January 3, 1985 – July 24, 2002 |
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| Preceded by | Lyle Williams |
| Succeeded by | Tim Ryan |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Anthony Traficant Jr. May 8, 1941 Youngstown, Ohio |
| Died |
September 27, 2014 (aged 73) Poland, Ohio |
| Political party |
Democratic (1981–2010) Independent (2010–2014) |
| Spouse(s) | Patricia "Tish" Choppa Traficant |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
James Anthony Traficant Jr (May 8, 1941 – September 27, 2014) was a Democratic, and later independent, politician and member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio. He represented the 17th Congressional District, which centered on his hometown of Youngstown and included parts of three counties in northeast Ohio's Mahoning Valley. He was expelled from the House after being convicted of taking bribes, filing false tax returns, racketeering and forcing his aides to perform chores at his farm in Ohio and houseboat in Washington, D.C. He was sentenced to prison and released on September 2, 2009, after serving a seven-year sentence.
Traficant died on September 27, 2014, as the result of injuries sustained in an accident that occurred several days earlier when his tractor flipped over as he was driving it into his barn.
Born into a working-class, Catholic family in Youngstown, Ohio, Traficant was the son of Agnes (née Farkas) and James Anthony Traficant Sr. He was of mostly Italian and Slovak ancestry. Traficant graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School in 1959 and the University of Pittsburgh in 1963. He played quarterback for Pitt's football team, and his teammates included Mike Ditka. Traficant was drafted in the NFL's twentieth round (276th overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1963, and tried out for the Steelers and the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League, but did not play professionally. He later obtained a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh (1973) and another from Youngstown State University (1976).
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