Halls of Shame & Honor
The individuals presented in these Halls cannot represent the best or the worst. There is no objective metric to make that determination. These individuals are representatives of paths taken, for good or for ill. Let the noble actions of those in the Hall of Honor inspire us to act similarly, and let the corrupt actions taken by those in the Hall of Shame serve as cautionary tales.
Hall of Shame
Inducted in 2021
William M. "Boss" Tweed
William Magear “Boss” Tweed (1823-1878) represents the era of corrupt New York City machine politics from the 19th-20th centuries known as Tammany Hall.
Through patronage and kickbacks, it is believed “Boss” Tweed bilked NYC residents out of as much as $200 million.
Inducted in 2021
Edwin W. Edwards
Edwin Edwards (1927-2021) served four-terms as Governor of Louisiana, from 1972 to 1996.
In 1998, Edwards was indicted by the federal government and found guilty on 17 of 26 counts of extortion, fraud, racketeering, and conspiracy.
Inducted in 2021
Albert Bacon Fall
Albert Fall (1861-1944), Secretary of the Interior under President Warren G. Harding, was a leading figure in the 1920’s Teapot Dome scandal.
Fall was found to have leased oil reserves in Teapot Dome, WY to private companies without competitive bidding. Fall became the first serving cabinet member to be convicted of a crime (bribery).
Inducted in 2021
Richard M. Nixon
Richard M. Nixon (1913-1994) was an active participant in the 1972-74 Watergate scandal which ultimately undermined his administration.
Nixon resigned the Presidency in 1974 and remains a potent symbol of the abuse of power in order to hold onto office.
Inducted in 2021
George W. Plunkitt
George Washington Plunkitt (1842-1924), was a New York politician and Tammany Hall boss.
He is best known as a practitioner of machine politics and insider trading, or what he called “Honest Graft.” “I seen my opportunities and I took ’em,” said the ever-colorful G.W. Plunkitt.
Inducted in 2022
Oakes Ames
Congressman Oakes Ames (1804-1873) helped build the first transcontinental railroad. Yet, he was a leading actor in the Crédit Mobilier scandal.
Crédit Mobilier was a company chartered to build the Union Pacific Railroad. It provided immense profits to shareholders. Ames sold stock to fellow congressmen at a greatly devalued price. On February 28, 1873, the House formally censured Ames “in seeking to secure congressional attention to the affairs of a corporation in which he was interested.”
Inducted in 2022
Buddy Cianci
Two-time Mayor of Providence, RI, Buddy Cianci (1941-2016) was forced to resign both times due to felony convictions.
During his first administration, 22 officials were convicted of corruption. His second administration yielded nine convictions, including Cianci, for racketeering. Judge Ernest C. Torres offered the following: “The first Buddy Cianci is a skilled, charismatic political figure.. . then there’s the Buddy Cianci who’s been portrayed here… mayor of an administration that was corrupt at all levels.”
Inducted in 2022
James "Jimmy" Walker
Jimmy Walker (1881-1946) was a two-term mayor of New York, serving from 1926-1932.
Walker was a product of the Tammany Hall political machine. In 1931 the anticorruption Seabury Commission discovered that Walker had accepted $1 million in bribes. His reputation was further tarnished by the murder of Vivian Gordon, one of the commission’s witnesses. The flamboyant mayor resigned his office on Sept. 1, 1932.
Inducted in 2022
Spiro T. Agnew
Spiro Agnew (1918-1996) served as Vice President of the United States from 1969-1973. Agnew was investigated on charges of criminal conspiracy, bribery, extortion, and tax fraud.
As Governor of Maryland, Agnew took kickbacks from contractors, a practice that continued in Washington. Agnew pleaded no contest to a felony count of tax evasion, was fined $10,000 and sentenced to three years’ probation.
Inducted in 2022
Samuel Swartwout
Samuel Swartwout (1783 – 1856) was appointed Collector of Customs for the Port of New York by President Andrew Jackson.
He served in that position from 1829-1838. An 1839 government investigation found that Swartwout had embezzled $1,225,705.69 in public funds before fleeing to England. Swartwout returned to the United States and forfeited his personal property in order to avoid prosecution.
Inducted in 2023
Rod Blagojevich
Rod Blagojevich (b. 1956) served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009.
In 2011, Blagojevich was convicted by a federal grand jury on charges of extortion as well as a “pay to play” scheme involving the corrupt use of his authority to fill the United States Senate seat that had been vacated by Barack Obama’s presidential victory. Blagojevich, the fourth Illinois governor to serve time in federal prison, had his sentence commuted in 2020 by President Trump.
Inducted in 2023
Ray Nagin
Ray Nagin (b. 1956) served as the 60th Mayor of New Orleans from 2002 to 2010. In 2013, he was indicted on 21 corruption charges.
These charges including wire fraud, conspiracy, bribery, money laundering, and filing false tax returns related to bribes from city contractors. Nagin was convicted on 20 of the 21 counts in February 2014, was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment, and was ordered to pay more than $500,000 in restitution and forfeiture.
Inducted in 2023
James Anthony Traficant Jr.
James Anthony Traficant Jr. (1941-2014) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio’s 17th district.
He served from 1985 to 2002. In 2001, Traficant was indicted on charges of bribery, obstruction of justice, conspiracy to defraud the United States, filing a false tax return and racketeering. In April 2002, he was convicted on all counts, was sentenced to eight years in prison, and was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives.
Inducted in 2023
Sheldon Silver
Sheldon Silver (1944 -2022), was the powerful Speaker of the New York State Assembly from 1994 to 2015.
He was arrested in 2015 on federal corruption charges related to elaborate kickback schemes. In 2018, Silver was found guilty on all counts. While three charges were dismissed, four charges related to kickbacks and money laundering were upheld. Silver was resentenced in 2020 to 6 1/2 years in prison and a fine of $1M dollars.
Inducted in 2023
George Santos
George Santos (b. 1988) served in U.S. House of Representatives from New York’s 3rd district from January 3, 2023 to December 1, 2023.
A House Ethics Committee investigation revealed that Santos “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.” On December 1, 2023, the House of Representatives voted to expel Santos, making him only the sixth representative to face expulsion from the House.
Hall of Honor
Inducted in 2021
Ida Tarbell
Author Ida Tarbell (1857– 1944) chronicled the economic and social oppression during the Guilded Era.
She believed that bringing truth to the public could “precipitate meaningful social change.” Her 1904 book on the Standard Oil Company not only broke that company’s monopoly, but served as a catalyst for business reform in the early 20th century.
Inducted in 2021
Peter Eigen
Peter Eigan (b. 1938), lawyer, development economist and civil society leader, has been a powerful force for government reform throughout the world.
In 1993, he founded Transparency International, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to stop corruption and promote transparency, accountability and integrity across all sectors of society.
Inducted in 2021
Preet Bharara
Preet Bharara (b. 1968) served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2009 to 2017.
Bharara relentlessly prosecuted corrupt officials in New York State, bringing to justice some of New York’s most powerful leaders, including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos.
Inducted in 2021
Thomas Nast
Thomas Nast (1840-1902) fought corruption not with words, but through pictures.
Nast’s illustrations in Harper’s Weekly in the 1870’s helped bring down Tammany’s powerful “Boss” tweed. Of Nast’s work, Tweed once remarked “I don’t care a straw for your newspaper articles; my constituents don’t know how to read, but they can’t help seeing them damned pictures.
Inducted in 2021
Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman (Nellie Bly)
As a reporter for Pulitzer’s New York World, Nellie Bly (1864-1922) became a pioneer in the field of investigative journalism.
She dedicated her career to exposing corruption and social injustice and is perhaps best remembered for her shocking 1887 expose on the deplorable conditions at the Blackwell’s Island Asylum for the mentally ill.
Inducted in 2022
Mo Ibrahim
Sudanese-British businessman Mo Ibrahim (b. 1946) has dedicated his energy and vast resources to fostering democracy and ethical governance and leadership in Africa.
To this end, in 2006, Ibrahim founded the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Dr. Ibrahim is also the Co-founder and Co-chair of the Africa Europe Foundation, an organization committed to strengthening Africa-Europe relations.
Inducted in 2022
Robert Caro
Through his extensive writings, historian and biographer Robert Caro (b. 1935) has given the public a vivid picture of American leadership, detailing the use and abuse of political power.
Caro’s biography of Robert Moses, The Power Broker, was chosen by the Modern Library as one of the hundred greatest nonfiction books of the twentieth century. For his work, Caro has received two Pulitzer Prizes and was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barak Obama in 2010.
Inducted in 2022
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart (b. 1962) uses his formidable media platform to raise awareness of today’s pressing issues.
In expressing himself, he often relies on a brilliant combination of wit and insight. From 1999-2015 Stewart hosted The Daily Show. In 2004, he co-authored America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction. Stewart has demonstrated the power of humor and satire to communicate essential truths, including insights on political power and corruption.
Inducted in 2022
Khadija Ismayilova
Khadija Ismayilova (b. 1976) has been fearless as an investigative journalist in Azerbaijan. Her work exposing corruption led to her own arrest and imprisonment (which was overturned by the Azerbaijani Supreme Court).
Ismayilova serves a member of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. She is the recipient of the Right Livelihood Award (2017) “for her courage and tenacity in exposing corruption at the highest levels of government.”
Inducted in 2022
Daniel Ellsberg
Daniel Ellsberg (1931-2023) is most notable for bringing to light documents that provided a more honest assessment of America’s involvement in Vietnam.
The documents, published by the New York Times and Washington Post, became known as the “Pentagon Papers.” A Times analysis concluded that the Johnson’s administration had “systematically lied, not only to the public but also to Congress.”
Inducted in 2023
John W. Dean
John Wesley Dean III (b. 1938) served as White House Counsel under President Richard Nixon from 1970 to 1973. Like many of Nixon’s aides, Dean was implicated in the Watergate coverup.
But unlike others, Dean became the principal whistleblower exposing the scandal to Congress and the American public, resulting ultimately in Nixon’s resignation and a host of reforms and prosecutions. Following Watergate, as an author and political commentator, Dean has been a tireless advocate for strengthening democracy through ethical governance.
Inducted in 2023
Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol
The United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol was formed in July 1, 2021 and disbanded on January 3, 2023.
Under the leadership of Representatives Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney, the Committee worked diligently to undercover the circumstances surrounding the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The committee was forthright in sharing its findings with the public and served heroically in the face of threats, intransigence, and political pressure.
Inducted in 2023
G. Robert Blakey
G. Robert Blakey (b. 1936) joined the United States Department of Justice in 1960 where he became a Special Attorney in the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section of the Criminal Division.
A pioneering legal scholar, Blakey was instrumental in drafting the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) of 1970. At the state level, he helped draft and implement RICO-type legislation in 22 of the more than 30 states that have enacted racketeering laws.
Inducted in 2023
Andy Borowitz
With rapier wit, satirist Andy Borowitz (b. 1958) has been entertaining and enlightening audiences for decades. Borowitz was the first recipient of the National Press Club award for humor.
His acclaimed satirical column, The Borowitz Report, frequently turned today’s headlines into humor in order to present insightful commentary on government, ethics, and social justice.
Inducted in 2023
Carrie Chapman Catt
Carrie Chapman Catt (1859-1947) began her crusade for women’s suffrage in 1887. In 1900, she succeeded Susan B. Anthony as president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA).
Catt’s determined advocacy led directly to the ratification of the 19th on August 26, 1920. Earlier that year, Catt helped found the League of Women Voters (LWV) a nonpartisan, educational organization to empower women voters.
The Nellie Bly Wing of the Hall of Honor
The Nellie Bly Award for Investigative Reporting recognizes the work of those who dedicate their lives to informing, and thus empowering, the public. While Bly was known for many accomplishments, as an Albany-based institution, this award was inspired by Bly’s journey to Albany in 1888 when she went undercover to expose widespread corruption in New York State government. By posing as a lobbyist, she was able to demonstrate that it was possible to “purchase” the state legislature to pass or kill any bill (for $1,250). Rather than pay the sum, Bly returned to her paper, Pulitzer’s New York World, to inform the public about her experience.
Inducted in 2017
Susanne Craig
New York Times investigative journalist Susanne Craig has tenaciously chronicled corruption in the halls of power in New York and in Washington DC. Craig’s particular focus on the intersection of money and power was at the heart of her groundbreaking 2019 expose into the finances of former President Donald Trump.
Inducted in 2018
Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey
Jodi Kantor and Meghan Twohey, authors and investigative journalists for The New York Times, have been at the forefront of reporting on the #MeToo movement.
Their coverage of the sexual harassment charges against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein resulted not only in a reckoning within the entertainment industry, but lead to widespread soul searching with regard to sexual harassment and power dynamics in employment and other areas of society. Rich Lowry, Editor of the National Review, called Kantor and Twohey’s work “the single most influential piece of journalism I can remember. It instantly changed this country.”
Inducted in 2019
Jim Heaney
Jim Heaney, Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit Investigative Post, has been at the forefront of on-line reporting. His tenacious efforts at getting at the truth exposed corruption in the Buffalo Billion program, that reached to the highest levels of New York State government.
Inducted in 2020
Jane Mayer
Jane Mayer has been a staff writer for the New Yorker Magazine since 1995. Mayer’s books and articles have shown her to be an irrepressible force in investigative journalism. Mayer’s focus on dark money (detailed in her book by that name) laid bare the destructive influence of uncontrolled money in politics.
Inducted in 2021
Alex Gibney
Whether taking on powerful politicians, Wall Street firms, or big pharma, documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney focused his lens on exposing social injustice and corruption. His fearless storytelling and indefatigable quest for the truth continues to inform and empower the public.
Inducted in 2022
Jerry Mitchell
An investigative reporter for the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Jerry Mitchell tenaciously pursued the truth buried in decades-old, racially-charged, cold cases. His fearlessness and tenacity brought numerous Klansmen to justice, including those responsible for the assassination of NAACP leader Medgar Evers, the 1963 Birmingham church bombing, and the 1964 killings of three civil rights activists.
Inducted in 2023
Anna Wolfe
Winner of the 2023 Nellie Bly Award and a 2023 Pulitzer Prize, Anna Wolfe is an investigative reporter for Mississippi Today who covers inequity and corruption in government safety net programs. Wolfe’s “The Backchannel” series helped expose the diversion of at least $77 million in funds that were intended to assist the state’s poorest residents. The scandal went to the top of the Mississippi state government and was the largest scandal of its kind in Mississippi history.
Suggestions?
Who do you believe belongs in the Hall of Shame or the Hall of Honor?
Nominations for the Hall of Shame
- Corruption by a U.S. citizen or citizens.
- Corruption is defined as “the abuse of entrusted political power for private gain.”
- Corruption is substantiated by conviction and/or resignation combined (in most cases) with significant historical perspective.
- The corrupt acts are considered by the Board of Trustees to be substantial and/or instructive.
Nominations for the Hall of Honor
- A documented and substantial record of fighting corruption.
- Fighting corruption has been a centerpiece of the individual’s life work.
