Paul Spyros Sarbanes (; February 3, 1933 – December 6, 2020) was an American politician and attorney. A member of the
Democratic Party from
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...
, he served as a member of the
United States 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 ...
from 1971 to 1977 and as a
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and po ...
from 1977 to 2007. Sarbanes was the longest-serving senator in
Maryland history until he was surpassed by
Barbara Mikulski by a single day when her term ended on January 3, 2017. He was the first
Greek American senator.
Born in
Salisbury, Maryland, Sarbanes was a graduate of
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
,
Balliol College, Oxford, and
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each c ...
. Elected to the
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...
in 1966, he went on to serve two terms in the Maryland House from 1967 to 1971. In 1970, he won a seat in the United States House of Representatives, representing
Maryland's 4th and later
Maryland's 3rd congressional district
Maryland's 3rd congressional district comprises portions of Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, and Anne Arundel counties, as well as a significant part of the independent city of Baltimore. The seat is currently represented by John Sarbanes, a De ...
from 1971 to 1977.
In 1976, he ran for the United States Senate, defeating
Republican incumbent
John Glenn Beall Jr. with 59% of the vote. Sarbanes was re-elected four times, each time receiving no less than 59% of the vote. He did not seek re-election in 2006, when he was succeeded by fellow Democrat
Ben Cardin. Sarbanes was known for his low-key style, often shunning the limelight over his thirty-year Senate career. In 2002, Sarbanes co-sponsored the
Sarbanes–Oxley Act
The Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 is a United States federal law that mandates certain practices in financial record keeping and reporting for corporations.
The act, (), also known as the "Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protect ...
, which is cited as his most-noted sponsored piece of legislation.
Early life
Sarbanes was born on
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...
's
Eastern Shore in the city of
Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of ...
to
Greek immigrant parents, Matina (née Tsigounis) and Spyros P. Sarbanes, who had emigrated from
Laconia
Laconia or Lakonia ( el, Λακωνία, , ) is a historical and administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparta. The word '' laconic''—to speak in a blunt, c ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
and owned a Salisbury restaurant.
A graduate of
Wicomico High School
Wicomico High School (commonly abbreviated "Wi Hi") is a high school located in Salisbury, Wicomico County, Maryland, United States. It is one of four public high schools in Wicomico County along with James M. Bennett High School, Mardela Midd ...
in
Salisbury, Maryland, Sarbanes attended
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
, earning a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...
in 1954 from the
School of Public and International Affairs after completing a senior thesis titled "The
Smith Act: A Denial of American Freedoms". At Princeton, Sarbanes was a member of the
American Whig–Cliosophic Society
The American Whig–Cliosophic Society (Whig-Clio) is a political, literary, and debating society at Princeton University and the oldest debate union in the United States. Its precursors, the American Whig Society and the Cliosophic Society, wer ...
. As a senior, he received the
Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize, Princeton's highest undergraduate honor. He also was awarded a
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
that brought him to
Balliol College of the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, England.
He graduated with a First Class degree in 1957.
[ Sarbanes then returned to the United States and attended ]Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each c ...
.
After graduating in 1960, he clerked for Federal Judge Morris A. Soper before entering private practice with two Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
, Maryland law firms.[
]
Political career
State legislature
In 1966, Sarbanes ran for the Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...
in Baltimore City and won. During his four years as a State delegate in Annapolis, Maryland he served on both the Judiciary and the Ways and Means Committees.[
]
U.S. House of Representatives
Sarbanes was elected to the United States 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 ...
in 1970 from the fourth district of Maryland and was reelected in 1972 and 1974 from the third district.[ While in the House, Sarbanes served on the Judiciary Committee, the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, and the Select Committee on House Reorganization.]
As a member of the Judiciary Committee he participated in the impeachment process against Richard Nixon.[ On July 26, 1974, he introduced the first ]articles
Article often refers to:
* Article (grammar), a grammatical element used to indicate definiteness or indefiniteness
* Article (publishing), a piece of nonfictional prose that is an independent part of a publication
Article may also refer to:
...
of impeachment
Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements.
In ...
against President Nixon for obstruction of justice.
U.S. Senate
Sarbanes was elected to the United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and po ...
in 1976 and re-elected in 1982, 1988, 1994, and 2000.[ In 2002, he was the United States Senate sponsor of the ]Sarbanes–Oxley Act
The Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 is a United States federal law that mandates certain practices in financial record keeping and reporting for corporations.
The act, (), also known as the "Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protect ...
of 2002, which reformed federal securities laws in the wake of the 2002 accounting scandals.[
Sarbanes served on the following Senate committees:][
* Ranking Member, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
* Ranking Member, Special Whitewater
* Senior Member, Foreign Relations
* Senior Member, ]Budget
A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environme ...
* Senior Member, Joint Economic
By 1981, Sarbanes was noted as a frequent critic of military budgets.[ In spite of this, in May of that year, he voted in favor of approving a Reagan administration-backed $136.5 billion military authorization bill.] In December, he voted in favor of an amendment to President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
's MX missiles
The MX Designation System was introduced by the Experimental Engineering Section of the US Army Air Corps Materiel Division in 1941. MX designations were used for experimental weapon system programs, including jet- and rocket-powered systems, pre ...
proposal that would divert the silo system by $334 million as well as earmark further research for other methods that would allow giant missiles to be based. While the military authorization bill was seen as supporting the administration, the December vote was viewed as a rebuff of Reagan.
On March 11, 2005, Sarbanes, the longest-serving senator in Maryland history, announced at a news conference his decision not to seek re-election in 2006. Colleagues of Sarbanes said that the reason for his retirement from the Senate was due to his annoyance with not having any leadership roles on committees.
Sarbanes received the Foreign Language Advocacy Award in 2007 from the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in recognition of his lifelong commitment to the values, languages, and cultures of the ancient world in service to the modern world.
Personal life and death
In June 1960, Sarbanes married Christine Dunbar of Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
, England; they had three children ( John Sarbanes, Michael Anthony Sarbanes, and Janet Matina Sarbanes) and seven grandchildren.[ Christine Sarbanes died of cancer on March 22, 2009. Sarbanes held the highest lay office in the ]Greek Orthodox Church
The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...
, "Order of St. Andrew, Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate" and was a member of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation in Baltimore.
His son, John Sarbanes, won the general election for Maryland's 3rd congressional district
Maryland's 3rd congressional district comprises portions of Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, and Anne Arundel counties, as well as a significant part of the independent city of Baltimore. The seat is currently represented by John Sarbanes, a De ...
in 2006, the district that Paul Sarbanes represented prior to his election as senator.[
Paul Sarbanes died at his home in Baltimore on December 6, 2020, at the age of 87.
In April 2021, Wicomico Public Libraries announced that the library in downtown Salisbury would be renamed after Sarbanes.
]
Election history
* Sources:
Publications
"The premise of the U. S. Constitutional system", Perspectives on culture and society, vol. 1 (1988), 119–126
Notes
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarbanes, Paul
1933 births
2020 deaths
21st-century American politicians
Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates
American Rhodes Scholars
American people of Greek descent
Greek Orthodox Christians from the United States
Princeton University alumni
Princeton Tigers men's basketball players
Harvard Law School alumni
People from Salisbury, Maryland
Politicians from Baltimore
Democratic Party United States senators from Maryland
Recipients of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece)
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland
Lawyers from Baltimore
Whitewater controversy
American men's basketball players