JAMES TRAFICANT JR., FLAMBOYANT FORMER CONGRESSMAN FROM OHIO, DIES AT 73
Ralph ellis and Sara Fischer - CNN
- Former Ohio Rep. James Traficant died at 73
- He had been in critical condition following a farm accident
- Traficant was known for his hair and ending speeches with "Beam me up!"
- He was expelled from Congress after being convicted of bribery
(CNN) -- James Traficant Jr., who railed against government agencies while serving as a wild-haired, maverick congressman from Ohio, died Saturday after being critically injured in a tractor accident on his farm. Traficant was 73.
Family attorney Heidi Hanni told CNN that Traficant passed away at 11:30 a.m. He'd been riding a small 1943 tractor on Tuesday at his farm in Greenford, Ohio, when he lost control, causing the tractor to roll over him, local police said.
He died at St. Elizabeth Health Center, the Youngstown Vindicator reported.
Traficant was a Democrat who represented Ohio's 17th congressional district from 1985 to 2002.
With a penchant for colorful, sometimes crude language, Traficant made a name for himself in Washington long before being convicted on federal corruption charges, a courtroom defeat that led to his expulsion from Congress because of ethics violations tied to it.
"There are no ethics in politics," the Democrat declared at his ethics hearing. "And there should be no ethics committee. It is dog eat dog. Castrate your opponent."
Such comments made him a favorite of reporters in Washington, where he was willing to offer his opinion on just about any topic.
'Beam me up!'
He was equally famous in Washington for his hair.
The Washington Post obit noted: "Reporters outdid themselves in trying to describe Mr. Traficant's pompadour — and to determine whether it was real. In the words of the Los Angeles Times, it was a 'Planet of the Apes sort of hair helmet,' or as Washingtonian magazine put it, 'a creature from Lake Erie before it was cleaned up.' "
Traficant made flamboyant and animated House speeches, which often end with his trademark, "Beam me up!"
A former football player at the University of Pittsburgh, Traficant went on to play the role of hometown hero after graduation, serving as a drug counselor and Mahoning County, Ohio, sheriff.
While sheriff, Traficant was tried on bribery charges in 1983. Acting as his lawyer, he persuaded a jury to acquit him, saying he was conducting his own sting operation. He was elected to Congress in 1984.
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