1802 -- Thomas Jefferson is rumored to be having an affair with his slave Sally Hemings. DNA tests of their descendents confirm it in 1998.

1884 -- Grover Cleveland wins his election despite opponents making an issue of his illegitimate child with chants of "Ma, ma, where's my pa? Gone to the White House, ha, ha, ha."

1974 -- Police stop Wilbur Mills, an Arkansas Democrat and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, for speeding.  His passenger, a stripper with the stage name "Fanne Fox, the Argentine firecracker," jumps out of the vehicle and walked into the capital's Tidal Basin.

1976 -- Rep. Wayne L. Hayes, an Ohio Democrat and chairman of the House Administration Committee, resigns after it was revealed that he gave a pay raise to his secretary and mistress Elizabeth Ray. 

1980 -- Rep. Robert Bauman, a leading Republican conservative from Maryland, pleads not guilty to soliciting sex from a 16-year-old boy.  Charges are later dropped after Bauman agrees to be treated for alcoholism.

1983 -- The House reprimands Illinois Republican Dan Crane and Massachusetts Democrat Gerry Studds for having sexual affairs with congressional pages.

1987 -- Less than a month after Colorado Sen. Gary Hart announced his second Democratic presidential run in 1987, various news outlets report he was having an extramarital affair with 29-year-old model Donna Rice

1988 -- Democratic Sen. Brock Adams of Washington denies allegations from the daughter of a family friend that he drugged and raped her. Investigations find no evidence of wrongdoing, but Brock later decides not to run for re-election when more women come forward with allegations.  

1989 -- The House voted to reprimand Rep. Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, for his relationship with a male prostitute whom he hired as his personal assistant.

1991 -- Virginia Democrat Sen. Charles Robb denies allegations that he associated with drug users and had an affair with a beauty queen.  He goes on to serve 10 more years in the U.S. Senate.

1992 -- Gennifer Flowers recounts a 12-year affair with Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton to a tabloid newspaper shortly before the Democratic primaries.

1992 -- Republican Sen. Bob Packwood of Oregon apologizes after 10 women accuse him of sexual harassment.  Packwood later resigns after the Senate Ethics Committee found him guilty of sexual misconduct.

1994 -- Rep. Mel Reynolds, an Illinois Democrat, is indicted and later convicted for sexual assault of a 16-year-old campaign volunteer.

1998 -- President Bill Clinton admits to having an affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.  

2004 -- New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey steps down after disclosing he had an affair with another man. 

2006 -- Sexual e-mails and instant messages between Rep. Mark Foley, a Florida Republican, and congressional pages surface just before the November midterm election.

2007 -- Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, is reported to be on the phone records of a high-end Washington, D.C., prostitution ring.  

2007 -- Sen. Larry Craig, an Idaho Republican, pleads guilty to disorderly conduct in a men's room.  A police officer testifies that Craig was soliciting sex.

2008 -- New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer admits to having an affair with 22-year-old call girl Ashley Dupre. 

2008 -- Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards admits he had an affair with former campaign videographer Rielle Hunter during his second presidential run.  Edwards denies fathering Hunter's child. 

2009 -- Sen. John Ensign, R-NV, confesses to having an extra-marital affair with another woman -- later identified as 46-year-old Cindy Hampton, a former campaign aide. Ensign said the affair began in December 2007 and ended in August 2008.

2009 -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford admits to having an extramarital affair with a woman living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He says he will resign as head of the Republican Governors' Association.