Former Oregon Sen. Bob Packwood dies at 93 after long public fall
Why it matters: Packwood helped shape the 1986 tax overhaul, but sexual misconduct allegations ended his 27-year Senate career.
Former U.S. Sen. Bob Packwood, an Oregon Republican whose career mixed major legislative influence with a scandal-driven resignation, has died at 93. His family said he died Saturday, without giving further details. Packwood served 27 years in the Senate after winning election in 1968 and became a central Republican voice for abortion rights and a key tax negotiator. As chair and later top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, he played a leading role in the 1986 tax reform law. His career collapsed after more than two dozen women accused him of unwanted sexual advances, prompting a Senate ethics investigation. Packwood resigned in September 1995 and later worked as a lobbyist in Washington.