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(#18) James Buchanan
- Dec. at 77 (1791-1868)
Utah governor Brigham Young encouraged independence among residents of his state. After federal officials received information regarding obstruction of officials, President James Buchanan appointed a new governor. Young called upon his militia and withheld federal troops for several months in what was called the Utah War. Young eventually agreed to step-down and Buchanan pardoned Young for his involvement in the uprising.
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(#42) Millard Fillmore
- Dec. at 74 (1800-1874)
Prior to the Civil War, Millard Fillmore pardoned Daniel Drayton and Edward Sayres for their role in helping 77 slaves attempt to escape from Washington DC to the free state of New Jersey in 1848. Two years later the slave trade was abolished in DC and in 1852 Drayton and Sayres were pardoned.
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(#13) George W. Bush
- 72
George W. Bush commuted the sentence of his assistant Lewis "Scooter" Libby – who was also Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff – for a perjury conviction associated with revealing the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plume.
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(#40) John F. Kennedy
- Dec. at 46 (1917-1963)
The Narcotics Control Act of 1956 led to many convictions for minor drug crimes and forced people to serve lengthy mandatory minimum sentences. President John F. Kennedy disagreed with this method of tackling the drug problem and he pardoned 100 first time offenders serving time due to Act.
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(#3) Bill Clinton
- 72
Bill Clinton kept it in the family when granting controversial pardons. He pardoned his brother, Roger Clinton, Jr., for 1985 convictions of cocaine possession and drug-trafficking. Roger Clinton later received several DUIs.
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(#39) Rutherford B. Hayes
- Dec. at 71 (1822-1893)
In 1878, anarchist and abolitionist Ezra Heywood was convicted of violating the Comstock Act, which prohibited printing obscene material. President Hayes was convinced to pardon him after a grassroots movement of free speech advocates rallied for Heywood's release.
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About This Tool
The US Constitution gives the President a way to show tolerance and benefit the public. Although the president’s pardons seem to be unlimited, in fact, the president’s pardons can only target federal offenders. The presidential pardon power has caused a lot of controversy from the beginning. In the 19th century, President Andrew Johnson issued a broad and controversial amnesty to thousands of former Confederate officials and military personnel after the American Civil War.
Since the founding of the United States, President George Washington used this right for the first time in the late 18th century. The random tool shares 44 of the most controversial president’s pardons in American history.
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