William Forte Willett Jr. (November 27, 1869 – February 12, 1938) was a

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

from

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Biography

William Willett was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, on November 27, 1869. He attended the public schools of his native city and then graduated from the law department of

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

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, in 1895. He was admitted to the bar the following year and commenced the practice of law in New York City.

Career

Willett was elected 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 ...

to the Sixtieth and Sixty-first Congresses (March 4, 1907 - March 3, 1911). On January 18, 1909, Congressman Willett denounced President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

in a speech that was so outrageous that he was ordered to sit down, and the House voted 126 to 78 against allowing him to continue. On January 27, the House, by voice vote, expunged the speech from the ''Congressional Record'' for "language improper and in violation of the privileges of debate".Mark Grossman, ''Political Corruption in America: An Encyclopedia of Scandals, Power, and Greed'' (ABC-CLIO, 2003), p.369 He did not stand for renomination in 1910. He was indicted in 1912 on charges that he paid Democratic Party leaders for a seat on the State Supreme Court. In 1913, Willett was convicted of conspiracy and "corrupt practices", specifically bribery. After exhausting his appeals he served 14 months in

Sing Sing Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north of ...

."Willett, William Forte Jr.." Political Corruption in America: An Encyclopedia of Scandals, Power & Greed. Amenia: Grey House Publishing, 2008. Credo Reference. Web. 15 August 2012. Willett then went into the real estate business.

Death

He died in New York City on February 12, 1938, and was interred in Evergreen Cemetery,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willett, William Jr. 1869 births 1938 deaths 20th-century American criminals 20th-century American politicians American politicians convicted of bribery American prisoners and detainees Burials at the Cemetery of the Evergreens Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Inmates of Sing Sing New York (state) politicians convicted of crimes New York University School of Law alumni Politicians from Brooklyn