This is a partial list of people pardoned or granted clemency by the president of the United States. The plenary power to grant a pardon or a reprieve is granted to the president by Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution; the only limits mentioned in the Constitution are that pardons are limited to federal offenses, and that they cannot affect an impeachment process: "The president shall ... have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment".[1]
Though pardons have been challenged in the courts, and the power to grant them challenged by Congress, the courts have consistently declined to put limits on the president's discretion. The president can issue a full pardon, reversing a criminal conviction (along with its legal effects) as if it never happened. A pardon can be issued from the time an offense is committed, and can even be issued after the full sentence has been served. The president can issue a reprieve, commuting a criminal sentence, lessening its severity, its duration, or both while leaving a record of the conviction in place. Additionally, the president can make a pardon conditional, or vacate a conviction while leaving parts of the sentence in place, like the payment of fines or restitution.[1][2]
Pardons granted by presidents from George Washington until Grover Cleveland's first term (1885–89) were handwritten by the president; thereafter, pardons were prepared for the president by administrative staff requiring only that the president sign it.[3] The records of these presidential acts were openly available for public inspection until 1934. In 1981 the Office of the Pardon Attorney was created and records from President George H. W. Bush forward are listed.[4]
John Fries, for his role in Fries's Rebellion; convicted of treason due to opposition to a tax; Fries and others were pardoned, and a general amnesty was issued for everyone involved in 1800.
Thomas Jefferson
Democratic-Republican president Thomas Jefferson pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 119 people.[3] One of his first acts upon taking office was to issue a general pardon for any person convicted under the Sedition Act.[5] Among them are:
Democratic president Andrew Jackson pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 386 people.[3] Among them is:
George Wilson – convicted of robbing the United States mails. Strangely, Wilson refused to accept the pardon. The case went before the Supreme Court, and in United States v. Wilson the court stated: "A pardon is a deed, to the validity of which delivery is essential, and delivery is not complete without acceptance. It may then be rejected by the person to whom it is tendered; and if it is rejected, we have discovered no power in this court to force it upon him." While Wilson refused the pardon, he avoided being hanged unlike his accomplice who was. A report in The National Gazette of Philadelphia dated January 14, 1841, suggests that he was in prison for ten years until released. He received another pardon from President Martin Van Buren, which he accepted. However, the Smithsonian magazine has written that Wilson was hanged as a result of refusing the pardon.[9]
Martin Van Buren
Democratic president Martin Van Buren pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 168 people.[3] Among them are:
Whig president William Henry Harrison was one of only two presidents who issued no pardons, the other being James A. Garfield. This was due to Harrison's death shortly after taking office.
John Tyler
Whig president John Tyler pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 209 people.[3] Among them are:
Alexander William Holmes – sailor convicted of voluntary manslaughter (U.S. v. Holmes); pardoned
James K. Polk
Democratic president James K. Polk pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 268 people.[3] Among them are:
John C. Frémont – convicted by court martial of mutiny in 1848. Frémont later became the 1856 Republican candidate for the Presidency of the United States.
Whig president Zachary Taylor pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 38 people.[3]
Millard Fillmore
Whig president Millard Fillmore pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 170 people.[3] Among them are:
Daniel Drayton and Edward Sayres – convicted in the Pearl incident (transporting slaves to freedom) in 1848; pardoned
Franklin Pierce
Democratic president Franklin Pierce pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 142 people.[3]
Noah Hanson – a free black man who was tried and convicted of assisting slaves to escape, convicted in 1851; pardoned in 1854; only known presidential pardon of a Black person for Underground Railroad activities.[10]
James Buchanan
Democratic president James Buchanan pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 150 people.[3] Among them are:
Various men who enlisted in the army, but who were, among other circumstances, underage, bounty jumpers, or AWOL.[16]
Andrew Johnson
President Andrew Johnson pardoning Rebels at the White House, sketched by Stanley Fox
Democratic president Andrew Johnson pardoned about 7,000 people in the "over $20,000" class (taxable property over $20,000) by May 4, 1866. More than 600 prominent North Carolinians were pardoned just before the election of 1864.[17] President Andrew Johnson pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 654 people.[3] Among them are:
Ex-Confederates – On Christmas Day, 1868, Johnson issued a full and unconditional pardon and amnesty to all former Confederates of the rebellion (earlier amnesties requiring signed oaths and excluding certain classes of people were issued by both Lincoln and Johnson).[18] Among them were:
Republican president James A. Garfield was one of only two presidents who issued no pardons, the other being William Henry Harrison. This is because Garfield only served a few months before being assassinated.
Chester A. Arthur
Republican president Chester A. Arthur pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 337 people.[3] Among them is:
Democratic president Grover Cleveland pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 1,107 (est.) people during his two, non-consecutive terms.[3] Among them are:
James Brooks – Texas Ranger indicted for manslaughter in 1883; pardoned in 1886 after lobbying from his fellow Rangers
Republican president Benjamin Harrison pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 613 people.[3] Among them are:
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – On January 4, 1893, granted amnesty and pardon for the offense of engaging in polygamous or plural marriage to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[19]
Republican president William McKinley pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 918 (est.) people.[3] Among them are:
Alexander McKenzie – North Dakota political activist convicted of contempt of court in 1901; pardoned after spending three months in prison
Charles Chilton Moore – Atheist newspaper publisher jailed for sending obscene material in the mail in 1899; sentence commuted after six months in prison
Theodore Roosevelt
Republican president Theodore Roosevelt pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 981 (est.) people.[3][20] Among them are:
Servillano Aquino – Filipino general received death sentence in 1902 for anti-American activities in the Philippines; pardoned after 2 years
Al Jennings – former train robber sentenced to life in prison for robbery in 1899, freed on technicality three years later; pardoned in 1904
Stephen A. Douglas Puter – convicted of land fraud in 1906; pardoned after 18 months so he could turn state's evidence
William Howard Taft
Republican president William Howard Taft pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 758 people.[3] Among them are:
Charles W. Morse – ice shipping magnate convicted in 1909 of violations of federal banking laws; pardoned in 1912 due to ill health (later found to be feigned)
William Van Schaick – steamboat captain convicted for criminal negligence for the General Slocum steamship disaster of 1904, pardoned after 3+1⁄2 years in prison
Woodrow Wilson
Democratic president Woodrow Wilson pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 2,480 people.[3] Among them are:
George Burdick – a New York newspaper editor, who had refused to testify in federal court regarding the sources used in his article concerning the collection of customs duties. He pleaded the 5th Amendment; President Wilson then granted him a full pardon for all of his federal offenses, which he refused. He continued to plead the 5th, at which he was sentenced by a federal judge for contempt. It was then that the Supreme Court (in Burdick v. United States) reinforced the necessity of accepting a pardon to be valid; the federal judge had imprisoned Burdick on the grounds that he was claiming falsely his need for protection against self-incrimination.[21]
Frederick Krafft – Socialist political candidate convicted for alleged violation of the Espionage Act in June 1918, pardoned after serving nine months. Only person convicted under this law to receive a full executive pardon.
Mike Boyle – Convicted before Judge Landis for violating the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and was sentenced to one year's imprisonment. He served four months and was pardoned.[22]
Ben Reeves – Son of Deputy United States Marshal Bass Reeves. Convicted of Murder on January 24, 1903, he was sentenced to life in prison. His sentence was commuted on November 10, 1914.[23]
Warren G. Harding
Republican president Warren G. Harding pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 800 people.[3] Among them are:
Lothar Witzke – German spy and saboteur convicted in 1918; pardoned and deported in 1923.
Herbert Hoover
Republican president Herbert Hoover pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 1,385 people.[3] Among them are:
Warren T. McCray – Governor of Indiana convicted of Mail Fraud in 1924, paroled in 1927; pardoned in 1930 after learning of the KKK's role in his arrest and conviction
Thomas W. Miller – former Congressman and World War I veteran, convicted of conspiring to defraud the U.S. government in 1927; pardoned in 1933.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Democratic president Franklin D. Roosevelt granted 3,687 pardons in his four terms in office.[3] Among them are:
George R. Dale – newspaper editor convicted of violating Prohibition laws in 1932; pardoned in 1933 after the repeal of Prohibition
Duncan Renaldo – Romanian-born actor arrested for illegal entry into the US in 1933; pardoned
Harry S. Truman
Democratic president Harry S. Truman pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 2,044 people.[24] Among them are:
George Caldwell – Louisiana building contractor convicted in 1940 of income tax evasion and bribery for requiring kickbacks from contractors, paroled the following year; pardoned
Seymour Weiss – hotel executive and Democratic Party campaign financier, convicted of tax evasion and mail fraud in 1940, released in 1942; pardoned in 1947
Republican president Dwight D. Eisenhower pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 1,157 people.[24] Among them is:
Maurice L. Schick – military court-martial for brutal murder in 1954; death sentence commuted to life imprisonment in 1960, with the condition that he would never be released. Legal challenge went to the Supreme Court, questioning the constitutionality of the punishment "Life Imprisonment Without Parole". Decided in Schick v. Reed that to be so sentenced was constitutional.
It is important to note that "until the Eisenhower Administration, each pardon grant was evidenced by its own separate warrant signed by the president. President Eisenhower began the practice of granting pardons by the batch, through the device of a "master warrant" listing all of the names of those pardoned, which also delegated to the Attorney General (or, later, the Deputy Attorney General or Pardon Attorney) authority to sign individual warrants evidencing the president's action."[26]
John F. Kennedy
Democratic president John F. Kennedy pardoned, commuted, or rescinded the convictions of 575 people.[24] Among them are:
First-time offenders convicted of crimes under the Narcotics Control Act of 1956 – pardoned all, in effect overturning much of the law passed by Congress.
John Factor – reputed organized crime member convicted of mail fraud in 1939, released in 1949, scheduled to be deported. Pardoned in 1962 after investigation by Robert F. Kennedy.
Hampton Hawes – musician convicted of heroin charges in 1958; Executive Clemency in 1963.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Democratic president Lyndon B. Johnson pardoned, commuted, or rescinded the convictions of 1,187 people.[24] Among them are:
Frank W. Boykin – Former Alabama Congressman convicted of bribery in 1963; pardoned in 1965 at the request of departing Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
Republican president Richard Nixon pardoned, commuted, or rescinded the convictions of 926 people.[24] Among them are:
Jimmy Hoffa – prominent labor union leader convicted of fraud and bribery (tax evasion) in 1964; sentence commuted (with conditions) on December 23, 1971
Angelo DeCarlo – convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and extortion in March 1970; was pardoned in late 1972 due to poor health, died on October 20, 1973.
Gerald Ford
Republican president Gerald Ford pardoned, commuted, or rescinded the convictions of 409 people.[24] Among them are:
Richard Nixon – granted a full and unconditional pardon in 1974 just before he could be indicted in the Watergate scandal. This was the only time that a U.S. president received a pardon.
Iva Toguri D'Aquino, aka – "Tokyo Rose" – convicted of treason in 1949, paroled in 1956. She was pardoned on January 19, 1977, Ford's last day in office. The only U.S. citizen convicted of treason during World War II to be pardoned.
Robert E. Lee – Confederate general during the Civil War, full rights of citizenship were posthumously restored
Maurice L. Schick – military court-martial for brutal murder; commuted to life with the possibility of parole.[28]
Jimmy Carter
Democratic president Jimmy Carter pardoned, commuted, or rescinded the convictions of 566 people,[24] and in addition to that pardoned over 200,000 Vietnam War draft evaders.[29] Among them are:
Oscar Collazo – Attempted assassination of President Harry S. Truman in 1950; commuted to time served in 1979
G. Gordon Liddy – Watergate figure. Convicted for 20 years for conspiracy, burglary, and illegal wiretapping; commuted after serving 4+1⁄2 years in 1977.
Peter Yarrow – Singer-songwriter of Peter, Paul and Mary, had pleaded guilty to a morals charge involving a 14-year-old girl in 1970 and served three months in prison, was pardoned in 1980.[30]
Jefferson Davis – President of the Confederate States of America, was arrested and accused of treason in 1865. Charges were brought in 1868 but was absolved of any guilt for participation in the Civil War by President Andrew Johnson's Fourth Amnesty Proclamation on Christmas Day of that year. Posthumously pardoned.
Patty Hearst – Convicted of bank robbery in 1976 after being kidnapped and allegedly brainwashed; sentence commuted in 1979
Frederic B. Ingram – Heir from Tennessee, convicted of bribing government officials in Illinois in 1977; jailed for 16 months.[31] His sentence was commuted by Carter in December 1980.[31]
Ronald Reagan
Republican president Ronald Reagan pardoned, commuted, or rescinded the convictions of 406 people.[24] Among them are:
Mark Felt and Edward S. Miller – FBI officials convicted in December 1980 of authorizing illegal break-ins and fined. Pardoned on March 20, 1981. Mark Felt later in life admitted to being Deep Throat, the informant during the Watergate affair.
Myra Soble – 1957 conviction of Conspiracy to Receive and Obtain National Defense Information and transmit same to foreign government in the Rosenberg spy ring; served four years, pardoned in 1991, died one year later.
Roger Clinton, Jr. – Half-brother of Bill Clinton. After serving a year in federal prison (1985–86) for cocaine possession.
John Deutch – Director of Central Intelligence, former Provost and University Professor, MIT. He had agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor for mishandling government secrets on January 19, 2001, but President Clinton pardoned him in his last day in office, two days before the Justice Department could file the case against him.
Edward Downe, Jr. – convicted of wire fraud, filing false income tax returns, and securities fraud in 1992; pardoned
Elizam Escobar – Puerto Rican artist and activist, convicted of seditious conspiracy in 1980; pardoned
FALN – commuted the sentences of 16 members of FALN, a Puerto Rican clandestine paramilitary organization operating mostly in Chicago and New York City
Henry O. Flipper – The first black West Point cadet was found guilty of "conduct unbecoming an officer" in 1882. Posthumously pardoned.
Patty Hearst – Convicted of bank robbery in 1976 after being kidnapped and allegedly brainwashed. Prison term commuted by Jimmy Carter and was released from prison in 1979. She was fully pardoned by Clinton in 2001.
Rick Hendrick – NASCAR team owner & champion; convicted of mail fraud in 1997; pardoned
Susan McDougal – business partner with Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton in the failed Whitewater land deal. Guilty of contempt of court, she served her entire sentence starting in 1998 and was then pardoned.
Samuel Loring Morison – former Naval intelligence officer, convicted of espionage and theft of government property in 1985; pardoned
Dan Rostenkowski – Former Democratic member of the US House of Representatives from Illinois, indicted for his role in the Congressional Post Office scandal and pleaded guilty to mail fraud in 1996. Served his entire 17-month sentence, then pardoned in December 2000.
Susan Rosenberg – a former radical activist and domestic terrorist of the early 1970s, was convicted of illegal explosives possession in 1984, commuted on January 20, 2001.
John Forté – Hip-hop singer and songwriter sentenced for smuggling cocaine in 2000 was commuted.[35]
Lewis "Scooter" Libby – Assistant to President George W. Bush and Chief of Staff to Dick Cheney was convicted of perjury in connection with the CIA leak scandal involving members of State Department who 'outed' CIA officer Valerie Plame. Was sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined him $250,000 on June 5, 2007. Libby received commutation of his prison sentence, not a full pardon, on July 2, 2007. Libby later received a full pardon from President Donald Trump in 2018.[36]
Issac Robert Toussie – Brooklynreal estate developer, convicted of making false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2001; pardoned in 2008 and the pardon revoked one day later.[37]
Charles Winters – Posthumous pardon for smuggling three B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers to Israel in the late 1940s; served 18 months in prison; died in 1984.
Dwight J. Loving, U.S. Army private sentenced to death in Texas for murdering two taxi drivers in 1988. Commuted to life without parole on January 17, 2017.[40]
Chelsea Manning, U.S. Army whistleblower convicted by court-martial in July 2013, sentenced to 35 years in prison for providing classified documents to WikiLeaks. Commuted on January 17, 2017.[41]
Willie McCovey, professional baseball player, pleaded guilty to tax evasion in 1995 and received two years probation and a $5,000 fine. Pardoned on January 17, 2017.[42]
Ian Schrager, former co-owner of the famed dance club Studio 54, pleaded guilty to tax evasion in 1979 and received three and a half years in prison and a $20,000 fine. Pardoned on January 17, 2017.[43]
Oscar López Rivera, FALN member sentenced in 1981 to 55 years in prison for seditious conspiracy, use of force to commit robbery, interstate transportation of firearms, and conspiracy to transport explosives with intent to destroy government property, and subsequently to an additional 15 years for attempted escape in 1988. Commuted on January 17, 2017.[44]
Sholom Rubashkin, an Iowa meatpacking magnate sentenced to 27 years in prison for bank fraud in 2010. Commuted on December 20, 2017.[46]
Kristian Saucier, a former U.S. Navy sailor pleaded guilty to unauthorized possession and retention of national defense information in 2016, released the following year. Pardoned on March 9, 2018.[47]
Jack Johnson, a champion boxer who was convicted in 1913 while traveling with his white girlfriend for violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for "immoral" purposes, released after one year. Posthumously pardoned on May 24, 2018.[50][51][52][53]
Alice Johnson, an unemployed parcel delivery worker and first-time drug offender sentenced to life without parole in 1996 for conspiracy to possess cocaine, attempted possession of cocaine, and money laundering. Commuted on June 6, 2018.[57][58][59][60][61]
Michael Behenna, former United States Army First Lieutenant who was convicted in 2009 of murdering an unarmed prisoner during the Iraq War. Sentenced to 25 years in military prison, paroled in 2014. Pardoned on May 7, 2019.[67]
Conrad Black, a British newspaper publisher convicted in 2007 of fraud and obstruction of justice for scheming to siphon off millions of dollars from the sale of newspapers, spent 3+1⁄2 years in prison and was deported. Pardoned on May 15, 2019.[68]
Pat Nolan, former California state legislator who pleaded guilty to racketeering in 1994, served 2 years and 2 months in prison. Pardoned on May 16, 2019.[69]
Mathew L. Golsteyn, a US Army officer who served in the War in Afghanistan. He was accused of murder after the 2010 killing of an unarmed Afghan bomb maker who was a prisoner of war, and the U.S. Army had opened an investigation of him in 2016. Pardoned on November 15, 2019.[71]
Clint Lorance, a former first lieutenant with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division in the U.S. Army and veteran of the War in Afghanistan. He was convicted on two counts of second-degree murder for ordering soldiers in his platoon to open fire at three men sitting on a motorcycle in southern Afghanistan in July 2012 while his platoon was on combat patrol. During the trial all platoon members testified that the men were sitting, unmoving on a motorcycle while the defendant claimed the motorcycle was approaching at a high speed. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison in August 2013, and sent to Fort Leavenworth. Pardoned on November 15, 2019.[72]
Rod Blagojevich, former Governor of Illinois, was charged with attempting to sell an appointment to the U.S. Senate to succeed President-elect Barack Obama. Was convicted of soliciting bribes, extortion, and wire fraud on June 27, 2011, and sentenced to 14 years in prison. Was commuted to time served on February 18, 2020.[73]
Bernard Kerik, former New York City Police Commissioner, pleaded guilty to tax fraud and perjury in 2010 for concealing apartment renovations paid for by a contractor that the city had blacklisted because of suspected ties to organized crime. Was sentenced to four years in prison in 2010; was released in May 2013. Pardoned on February 18, 2020.[73]
Michael Flynn, retired United States Army lieutenant general and the 25th National Security Advisor. Flynn withdrew his original guilty plea for making false statements to the FBI, and federal district judge Emmet G. Sullivan had ruled the matter to be placed on hold. Flynn was pardoned on November 25, 2020.[80]
Alex van der Zwaan, a New York–based Dutch lawyer who was convicted on a guilty plea in Feb. 2018 of making false statements to law enforcement officers in the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.[81] Mr. van der Zwaan served his 30-day jail sentence, paid a $20,000 fine, and was deported after his release from jail.[82] Trump pardoned him on December 23, 2020.[83]
Kodak Black, an American rapper who confessed to lying on background checks associated with purchasing firearms during two separate instances in 2019.[84] Commuted on January 20, 2021, after already having served "nearly half" of his 46-month sentence.[85]
Joe Biden
As of December 2023, Democratic president Joe Biden pardoned, commuted, or rescinded several convictions, including the following:
On April 26, 2022, Biden issued 3 full pardons and 75 commutations.[86]
On October 1, 2022, Biden granted clemency to two Venezuelans, nephews of Nicolás Maduro's wife involved in the Narcosobrinos affair, as part of a prisoner exchange. Among the released American detainees were five oil executives, part of the group known as the Citgo Six.[87]
On October 6, 2022, Biden pardoned all those convicted of what was previously the federal offense of simple possession of marijuana, totaling 6,500, via Proclamation 10467.[88] This excluded non-U.S. citizens and those who were considered illegal immigrants at the time of their arrest.[89][90]
Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, for second-degree murder in alleged self-defense against her husband in 1977.
Charlie Byrnes Jackson, Gary Parks Davis, Edward Lincoln De Coito III, and John Dix Nock III, for the illegal distribution of marijuana, cocaine, and whiskey.
Vincente Ray Flores, for consuming drugs while serving in the military in 2006.
John Dix Nock III, for renting and making for use, as an owner, a place for the purpose of manufacturing marijuana plants.
Edward Lincoln De Coito III, for conspiracy to distribute marijuana.
Gary Parks Davis, for illegal use of communication facility to facilitate unlawful cocaine transaction.
On September 14, 2023, Biden issued 2 pardons and 1 commutation.[92]
Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi, for conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal; acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal.
Amin Hasanzadeh, for conspiracy to unlawfully export technology to Iran and to defraud the United States; unlawful export of technology to Iran (seven counts).
Reza Sarhangpour Kafrani, for conspiracy to unlawfully export goods to Iran via the United Arab Emirates, and to defraud the United States; unlawful exports and attempted unlawful export of goods to Iran via the United Arab Emirates (two counts); failure to file electronic export information; international money laundering (six counts).
On December 20, 2023, Biden pardoned Colombian businessman Alex Saab as part of a prisoner exchange. Saab was detained on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and laundering of monetary instruments (eight counts).[93][94]
^Slack, Charles (2015). Liberty's First Crisis: Adams, Jefferson, and the Misfits Who Saved Free Speech. Atlantic Monthly Press. p. 232. ISBN978-0802123428.
^Preston, Daniel (2000). A Comprehensive Catalogue of the Correspondence and Papers of James Monroe [Two Volumes]. ABC-CLIO/Greenwood. pp. 788ff. ISBN978-0-313-31426-1.
^p. 34, Vallandigham, Clement Laird. The Trial Hon. Clement L. Vallandigham by a Military Commission: and the Proceedings Under His Application for a Writ of Habeas Corpus in the Circuit Court of the US for the Southern District of Ohio. Cincinnati, OH: Rickey and Carroll, 1863.
