John Clary

John Clary, fornicator

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:00:00 -0500

John Clary was expelled for fornicating with his stepdaughter.

A Quaker from Virginia, he moved to Perquimans County in 1776 and became proprietor of a toll float bridge across the river—a position that made him locally important.

His second wife was a widower three times over and had a daughter, Leah Toms, according to William S. Powell's "The Dictionary of North Carolina Biography."

In 1808, Clary was convicted of fornication with his stepdaughter and fined, but he was elected to the House of Commons in 1809 nonetheless. Not everyone was happy, though:

His reception in the legislature was cool, and following the introduction of a resolution proposed that the house "free itself from the contamination of grossly impure and unworthy characters," Clary resigned and went home to vindicate himself.

In December, Clary was re-elected by an even larger margin and returned to the House triumphantly. It was a short-lived win.

More after the jump.

Who has been expelled from the legislature?

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 16:05:23 -0500

Answer:

At least 13 people were kicked out of the legislature between 1757 and 1880.

Below, the year of their expulsion, their names, districts and alleged crimes.

1757: Rep. James Carter, of Rowan County, for embezzlement.

1758: Rep. Francis Brown, of Currituck County, for perjury.

1770: Rep. Herman Husband, of Orange County, for libel.

1779: Rep. William Gilbert, of Tryon County, for fraud.

1784: Rep. Edward Clay, of Caswell County, for theft.

1786: Sen. Benjamin McCullock, of Halifax County, for a military pay scandal.

1786: Rep. Henry Montfort, of Warren County, for a military pay scandal.

1787: Rep. John Bonds, of Nash County, for a military pay scandal.

1809: Rep. John Clary, of Perquimans County, for fornication with his stepdaughter.

1816: Sen. John Roberts, of Carteret County, for fraud.

1835: Rep. Robert Potter, of Granville County, for brandishing a gun during a fight.

1875: Rep. J. Williams Thorne, of Warren County, for publishing a "blasphemous" pamphlet.

1880: Rep. Josiah Turner Jr., of Orange County, for calling other legislators names.

In 2007, two House committees decided to consider expelling Rep. Thomas Wright of Wilmington.

More on expelled legislators

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:10:24 -0500

Scott Mooneyham has dug up the goods on the 11 legislators who have been expelled.

The syndicated political columnist writes that Josiah Turner Jr. was supposed to be censured for calling other legislators names, but he got upset listening to the public scolding, let out a few more choice words and left the chamber. That's when he was expelled.

But Mooneyham writes that Turner was not the only one kicked out for unusual reasons.

Among the others kicked out between 1757 and 1880:

* 1809: John Clary of Perquimans County, for having an affair with his stepdaughter.

* 1835: Robert Potter of Granville County, for brandishing a gun and knife during a fight over a card game.

* 1875: J. Williams Thorne, for publishing a pamphlet that questioned the Bible.

For a complete list, click here.