United States Senate Watergate Committee
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The Senate Watergate Committee was a special committee convened by the United States Senate to investigate the Watergate first break-in and the ensuing Watergate scandal after it was learned that the Watergate burglars had been directed to break into and wiretap the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee by the Committee to Re-elect the President, President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign fundraising organization.
The Committee played a pivotal role in gathering evidence that would lead to the indictment of forty administration officials and the conviction of several of Nixon's aides for obstruction of justice and other crimes. Its revelations prompted the introduction of articles of impeachment against the President in the House of Representatives, which led to Nixon's resignation.
The members of the Senate Watergate Committee were:
- Sam Ervin (Democrat - North Carolina), chair
- Howard Baker (Republican - Tennessee), ranking member
- Edward J. Gurney (Republican - Florida)
- Daniel Inouye (Democrat - Hawaii)
- Joseph Montoya (Democrat - New Mexico)
- Herman Talmadge (Democrat - Georgia)
- Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. (Republican - Connecticut)
The Committee had two chief counsels, Sam Dash and Fred Thompson, who advised the Democratic and Republican members of the committee, respectively. Hearings opened on May 17, 1973, and the Committee issued its seven-volume, 1,250-page report on June 27, 1974, entitled Report on Presidential Campaign Activities.
