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Alcee Hastings

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Article Genealogy
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Alcee Hastings
NameAlcee Hastings
StateFlorida
District23rd
Term startJanuary 3, 1993
Term endApril 6, 2021
PrecededHarry Johnston
SucceededDebbie Wasserman Schultz
Office1Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
Term start1November 2, 1979
Term end1October 20, 1989
Appointer1Jimmy Carter
Predecessor1Clyde Atkins
Successor1Federico A. Moreno
Birth date5 September 1936
Birth placeAltamonte Springs, Florida
Death date6 April 2021
Death placeWashington, D.C.
PartyDemocratic
EducationFisk University (BA), Howard University (JD)
SpousePatricia Williams (div.), Peggy Davis (div.)

Alcee Hastings was an American politician and jurist who served as a United States Representative for Florida's 23rd congressional district from 1993 until his death in 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American federal judge in Florida and, following his impeachment and removal from the bench, became a prominent and long-serving member of the United States Congress. His career was marked by significant civil rights advocacy and notable controversy.

Early Life and Education

Alcee Hastings was born in Altamonte Springs, Florida, and attended Crooms Academy in Seminole County, Florida. He pursued higher education at Fisk University, a historically black university in Nashville, Tennessee, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then attended law school at Howard University in Washington, D.C., a leading institution in African-American education, graduating with a Juris Doctor degree. His early legal career was dedicated to civil rights work, including serving as a lawyer for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Career

After being admitted to the Florida Bar, Hastings practiced law privately and became involved in politics. In 1970, he made an unsuccessful run for the United States Senate in Florida. His legal acumen and advocacy led to his historic appointment by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 to serve as a judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. This appointment made him the first African American federal judge in the state's history, where he presided over numerous significant cases.

Impeachment and Removal

In 1981, Hastings was indicted on charges of conspiring to solicit a bribe. He was acquitted by a jury in a 1983 criminal trial. However, the United States House of Representatives subsequently investigated the allegations, and in 1988, he was impeached by the House. The following year, the United States Senate convicted him on articles of impeachment, leading to his removal from the federal bench. This made him one of only eight federal judges in U.S. history to be removed by the Senate, a process overseen by figures like Walter Nixon.

Congressional Career

Following his removal, Hastings successfully ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1992, representing a district encompassing parts of Broward County and Palm Beach County. He served on influential committees including the House Rules Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He was a founding member and later co-chairman of the Congressional Sunbelt Caucus and served as vice-chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. A staunch liberal, he advocated for Medicare expansion, voting rights, and was a critic of the Iraq War.

Personal Life

Hastings was married twice, first to Patricia Williams and later to Peggy Davis, both marriages ending in divorce. He had three children. He maintained residences in Miramar, Florida, and Washington, D.C.. In 2018, he announced he was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer. He continued to serve in Congress until his death from the illness at the age of 84 in Washington, D.C., in 2021.

Legacy

Alcee Hastings left a complex legacy as a trailblazing figure who overcame a historic impeachment to build a lengthy and influential congressional career. He was a vocal advocate for civil and political rights, Social Security, and environmental protection for the Florida Everglades. His death triggered a special election, which was won by fellow Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz. His career is studied for its dramatic arc from the federal judiciary to the United States Capitol.

Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida Category:1936 births Category:2021 deaths