Alcee Hastings

Alcee Hastings
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida
In office
January 3, 1993 – April 6, 2021
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded bySheila Cherfilus-McCormick
Constituency23rd district (1993–2013)
20th district (2013–2021)
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
In office
November 2, 1979 – October 20, 1989
Appointed byJimmy Carter
Preceded bySeat established
Succeeded byFederico A. Moreno
Judge of the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
In office
May 2, 1977 – October 31, 1979
Appointed byReubin Askew
Preceded byStewart LaMotte
Succeeded byHarry Hinckley
Personal details
Born
Alcee Lamar Hastings

(1936-09-05)September 5, 1936
Altamonte Springs, Florida, U.S.
DiedApril 6, 2021(2021-04-06) (aged 84)
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Twice divorced
Patricia Williams
(m. 2019)
Children4
EducationFisk University (BA)
Howard University
Florida A&M University (JD)

Alcee Lamar Hastings (/ˈæls/ AL-see; September 5, 1936 – April 6, 2021) was an American politician and former judge from the state of Florida.

Hastings was nominated to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida by President Jimmy Carter in August 1979. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 31, 1979. In 1981, after an FBI sting operation, Hastings was charged with conspiracy to solicit a bribe. Following a 1983 criminal trial, Hastings was acquitted; however, he was impeached for bribery and perjury by the United States House of Representatives in 1988 and was convicted by the United States Senate in his impeachment trial on October 20, 1989. While Hastings was removed from the bench, the Senate did not bar him from holding public office in the future. Hastings was the first and, as of 2023, remains the only African American federal official to be impeached.

A Democrat, Hastings was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1992, serving until his death in 2021. His district, numbered as the 23rd district from 1993 to 2013 and the 20th district from 2013 until his death, included most of the majority-black precincts in and around Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Following Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's departure from office in 2019, Hastings became the dean of Florida's congressional delegation; he retained this title until his death.[1]

  1. ^ Wu, Nicholas (April 6, 2021). "Rep. Alcee Hastings dies at 84 after cancer fight". POLITICO. Retrieved November 12, 2023.