John Wilson Jenrette Jr. (born May 19, 1936) is an American former
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
from
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, best known for his involvement in the
Abscam
Abscam (sometimes written ABSCAM) was an FBI sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s that led to the convictions of seven members of the United States Congress, among others, for bribery and corruption. The two-year investigation initi ...
corruption scandal, and being the husband of actress and model
Rita Jenrette
Rita Jenrette (née Carpenter) is an American actress, television journalist, and real estate executive. She gave an interview to ''The New York Times'' about her work in restoring the Casino dell'Aurora of the Villa Ludovisi and in making it op ...
. He was in the
U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
from January 1975 until December 1980. He was convicted of accepting a
bribe
Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corr ...
in the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
's Abscam operation.
Biography
Jenrette was born in
Conway, South Carolina
Conway is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 24,849 at the 2020 census, up from 17,103 in 2010 census. It is the county seat of Horry County and is part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. It is the home ...
, in 1936 and grew up in
Loris, South Carolina
Loris is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,396 at the 2010 census, up from 2,079 in 2000.
Geography
Loris is in northern Horry County on the Atlantic coastal plain. U.S. Route 701 passes through the city, ...
. He graduated from Loris High School in 1954. He then earned a B.A. at
Wofford College
Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was founded in 1854. The campus is a national arboretum and one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the America ...
in 1958. After graduating from
law school
A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.
Law degrees Argentina
In Argentina, ...
at the
University of South Carolina, he worked as a city attorney, then a judge, as he attempted to reach higher office.
South Carolina House of Representatives
Jenrette was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1964, where he represented
Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as "The Grand Strand" in the northeastern part of the state. Its ...
. He retired from the state house to run for a seat in the U.S. House in 1972.
U.S. House of Representatives
Jenrette defeated the seventeen-term Congressman
John L. McMillan in the primary, but lost the general election to the
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
,
Edward Lunn Young
Edward Lunn Young (September 7, 1920 – May 9, 2017) was a Republican U.S. Representative from South Carolina.
Biography
Young was born in Florence, South Carolina. He graduated from Clemson College (now Clemson University) in 1941. Not lon ...
. Undaunted, he again ran for the seat in 1974. In part because of the extreme unpopularity of Republican
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
and the
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...
, Jenrette won.
Jenrette, a
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
, seemed out of place representing his rather
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
waterfront congressional district. However, he was locally well-known and the
South Carolina Republican Party
The South Carolina Republican Party (SCGOP) is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in South Carolina. It is one of two major political parties in the state, along with the South Carolina Democratic Party, and is the dominant pa ...
was not especially well-organized at the time in that part of the state. Jenrette easily defeated Young again in 1976 and was unopposed in 1978.
Jenrette is most famous for two things during his days as a Congressman. First, he allegedly had sex with his then-wife,
Rita Jenrette
Rita Jenrette (née Carpenter) is an American actress, television journalist, and real estate executive. She gave an interview to ''The New York Times'' about her work in restoring the Casino dell'Aurora of the Villa Ludovisi and in making it op ...
, behind a pillar on the steps of the
Capitol Building during a break in a late night session of Congress. (The comedy group "
Capitol Steps
The Capitol Steps was an American political-satire group that performed from 1981 to 2020. Most of the Capitol Steps' material parodied well-known contemporary songs, usually introduced with a short skit. The songs were interspersed with other ro ...
" take its name from this escapade.)
Second, he was charged with and convicted of accepting a $50,000 bribe in the FBI sting operation known as Abscam which was conducted in 1980. He was recorded saying he had been given a cash bribe by an associate. Jenrette was sentenced to two years in prison, of which he served 13 months.
His wife, Rita, separated from him in January 1981 and they divorced later the same year.
Jenrette was defeated for re-election in 1980 and resigned from Congress on December 10, just days before the end of his term. He subsequently ran a public relations firm called Lehuguenot, Ltd., in Myrtle Beach and developed property in nearby
Cherry Grove.
Later
In 1989, he was apprehended after
shoplifting
Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...
a
necktie
A necktie, or simply a tie, is a piece of cloth worn for decorative purposes around the neck, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat, and often draped down the chest.
Variants include the ascot, bow, bolo, zipper tie, cra ...
from a department store in
Bailey's Crossroads,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. Convicted of a
misdemeanor
A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...
, he was sentenced to serve 30 days in a local
jail
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...
.
In 2017, the book ''Capitol Steps and Missteps: The Wild, Improbable Ride of Congressman John Jenrette'' was published. It was written by two of Jenrette's former aides. While promoting the book, Jenrette described his years since Congress as including "marketing an experimental balloon-operated flotation device; running (and then folding) a national chain of timeshares; breeding horses in Bulgaria; and selling cigarettes in Eastern Europe immediately after the fall of the Soviet Union".
See also
*
List of American federal politicians convicted of crimes
This list consists of American politicians convicted of crimes either committed or prosecuted while holding office in the federal government. It includes politicians who were convicted or pleaded guilty in a court of law; and does not include p ...
*
List of federal political scandals in the United States
This article provides a list of political scandals that involve officials from the government of the United States, sorted from oldest to most recent.
Scope and organization of political scandals
This article is organized by presidential terms ...
References
External links
Profile from ''Congressional Bad Boys''
Sources
*
*''The Hill'', May 29, 2002
*''The Post and Courier'' (Charleston, SC), November 17, 1999
*''The Post and Courier'' (Charleston, SC), July 22, 2000
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenrette, John
1936 births
20th-century American politicians
Abscam
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina
Living people
Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives
People from Conway, South Carolina
People from Loris, South Carolina
People from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Politicians convicted of bribery under 18 U.S.C. § 201
South Carolina politicians convicted of corruption
South Carolina lawyers
South Carolina politicians convicted of crimes
University of South Carolina School of Law alumni
Wofford College alumni