Duke Cunningham
Randall Harold "Duke" Cunningham (born December 8, 1941) is an American former politician, a highly decorated Vietnam War veteran and fighter ace. Cunningham served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 50th district from 1991 to 2005, and later served prison time for accepting bribes from defense contractors.
Duke Cunningham | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California | |
| In office January 3, 1991 – November 28, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Bates |
| Succeeded by | Brian Bilbray |
| Constituency | 44th district (1991–1993) 51st district (1993–2003) 50th district (2003–2005) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Randall Harold Cunningham December 8, 1941 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | Susan Albrecht
(m. 1965; div. 1973)Nancy Jones (m. 1974) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Truman State University University of Missouri (BA, MA) National University (MBA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1967–1987 |
| Rank | Commander |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Navy Cross Silver Star (2) Purple Heart Air Medal (15) |
Prior to his political career, Cunningham was an officer and pilot in the U.S. Navy for 20 years. Following the Vietnam War, during which he became the U.S. Navy's only fighter pilot ace, Cunningham became an instructor at the U.S. Navy's Fighter Weapons School (better known as TOPGUN) and commanding officer of Fighter Squadron 126 (VF-126), a shore-based adversary squadron at NAS Miramar, California.
In 1990, Cunningham ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating Democratic incumbent Jim Bates. He served in the House from 1991 to 2005. Cunningham resigned from the House on November 28, 2005, after pleading guilty to accepting at least $2.4 million in bribes and under-reporting his taxable income for 2004. He was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison and was ordered to pay $1.8 million in restitution. On June 4, 2013, Cunningham completed his prison sentence. He was granted a conditional pardon by President Donald Trump in 2021.