Representative William J. Jefferson

William J. Jefferson served as a Representative from Louisiana in the United States Congress from 1991 to 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, William J. Jefferson contributed to the legislative process during 9 terms in office.

William J. Jefferson’s service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history. As a member of the House of Representatives, William J. Jefferson participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of constituents.

William Jennings Jefferson (born March 14, 1947) is an American former politician from Louisiana whose career ended after his corruption scandal and conviction. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for nine terms from 1991 to 2009 as a member of the Democratic Party. He represented Louisiana’s 2nd congressional district, which includes much of the greater New Orleans area. He was elected as the state’s first black congressman since the end of Reconstruction. On November 13, 2009, Jefferson was sentenced to thirteen years in federal prison for bribery after a corruption investigation, the longest sentence ever given to a congressman. He began serving that sentence in May 2012 at a Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facility in Beaumont, Texas. He appealed his case after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on similar issues. In light of these findings, on October 5, 2017, Jefferson was ordered released, pending sentencing or other action, after a U.S. District judge threw out seven of ten charges against him. On December 1, 2017, Judge T. S. Ellis III accepted his plea deal and sentenced Jefferson to time served.