James Traficant

James Traficant in 1997.

James Anthony "Jim" Traficant, Jr. (May 8, 1941 – September 27, 2014) was an American politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio. He represented the 17th Congressional District from 1985 until 2002. He was a member of the Democratic Party from 1981 until 2010, and was independent from 2010 until his death.

He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988.

Traficant was arrested and imprisoned. He was convicted of taking bribes, filing false tax returns, racketeering, and forcing his aides to perform chores at his farm in Ohio and Washington, D.C. houseboat. He was released on September 2, 2007, after serving seven years.

Traficant was born in Youngstown, Ohio. He was raised in a Roman Catholic family. He was of mostly Italian and Slovak ancestry. He was married to Patricia "Tish" Choppa Traficant.

Traficant died after suffering a heart attack caused by a tractor accident on September 27, 2014 at his home in Youngstown. He was 73.^[1]

References

1. Bobic, Igor (September 27, 2014). "Former Ohio Rep. James Traficant Dies After Accident". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 28, 2014.

Other websites

• Works written by or about James Traficant at Wikisource

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Official website