U.S. Politicians Killed in Airplane Crashes

Jeff will tap into his autograph collection to highlight U.S. politicians who died in tragic airplane crashes since the 1920s.

Those highlighted include U.S. Senators John Heinz, Paul Wellstone and John Tower, former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, Oregon Governor Earl Snell, Montana Governor Donald Nutter, Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, Congressman Hale Boggs, South Dakota Governor George Mickelson, Congressman Thaddeus Sweet, Congressman Jerry Litton and family, and more.

NOTE: A viewer pointed out two errors in our video, which cannot be corrected since it’s completed and cannot be re-edited. I had stated erroneously that Jean Carnahan became governor upon her husband’s death. She actually was appointed to the U.S. Senate seat her husband won posthumously after his Oct. 16, 2020 death.

I also made an error in stating that Shirley Pettis replaced her husband Jerry Pettis “five days later” in the U.S. House of Representatives upon his Feb. 14, 1975 death in a plane crash. Shirley was elected in an April 29, 1975 special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death.