- In full:
- Kenneth Winston Starr
- Died:
- September 13, 2022, Houston (aged 76)
- Political Affiliation:
- Republican Party
- On the Web:
- National Constitution Center - Ken Starr: A Memoir of the Clinton Investigation (Oct. 27, 2026)
Ken Starr
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Who was Ken Starr?
Ken Starr (1946–2022) was an American lawyer who served as independent counsel (1994–99) during the investigation of the Monica Lewinsky affair, which led to President Bill Clinton's impeachment. After graduating from Duke University with a Juris Doctor degree in 1973, Starr held government positions such as law clerk to Chief Justice Warren Burger, counselor to the U.S. attorney general, appellate judge, and U.S. solicitor general.
Appointed independent counsel in 1994 to investigate the Whitewater affair, Starr's investigation expanded to include other matters, most notably the allegations of an affair between Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. His report led to the House impeaching Clinton in 1998, though the Senate acquitted him the following year.
After resigning as independent counsel, Starr returned to private practice and later served as dean of Pepperdine University’s law school and president of Baylor University.
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What was Ken Starr known for in his legal career?
Ken Starr was an American lawyer known as the independent counsel who led the investigation of the Monica Lewinsky affair (1994–99) that led to U.S. President Bill Clinton's impeachment.
In August 1994, Starr was named independent counsel to investigate the Whitewater affair, a land deal in Arkansas during Clinton's governorship. The investigation led to convictions of 11 people, including Clinton associates James and Susan McDougal. Starr also investigated the suicide of White House counsel Vincent Foster and what came to be known as Travelgate and Filegate.
In 1998, allegations of an affair between Clinton and White House intern Monica Lewinsky became the focus of Starr’s attention. Starr's report supported charges that Clinton committed perjury, obstructed justice, tampered with a witness, and abused his power as president. Based on Starr’s findings, the House of Representatives voted to impeach the president in December 1998, but the Senate acquitted Clinton the following year.
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What position did Ken Starr hold in the U.S. government?
Ken Starr held several positions in the U.S. government, including law clerk to Chief Justice Warren Burger (1975–77), counselor to the U.S. attorney general (1981–83), appellate judge (1983–89), and U.S. solicitor general (1989–93).
Starr is best known as the independent counsel (1994–99) who led the investigation of the Monica Lewinsky affair that resulted in President Bill Clinton's impeachment. The House of Representatives voted to impeach Clinton based on Starr's findings, but the Senate later acquitted him.
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What was the Whitewater investigation that Ken Starr led?
Ken Starr, as independent counsel, led an investigation into President Bill Clinton's financial dealings as governor of Arkansas, known as the Whitewater affair. During this investigation, Starr uncovered Clinton's sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
The focus shifted to the Clinton-Lewinsky affair. Starr's report alleged Clinton committed perjury, obstructed justice, and abused his power. The House impeached Clinton in December 1998 on grounds of perjury and obstruction of justice; however, the Senate acquitted him in January 1999.
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How did Ken Starr's work impact Bill Clinton's presidency?
Ken Starr's investigation as independent counsel significantly impacted Bill Clinton's presidency. Initially appointed to investigate the Whitewater affair, Starr's inquiry expanded to include Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky. Starr's report alleged that Clinton committed perjury, obstructed justice, and abused his power as president.
Based on Starr's findings, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Clinton in December 1998 on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. Clinton was acquitted by the Senate in 1999, remaining in office despite the scandal and impeachment proceedings. Despite the impeachment, Clinton's job approval rating remained high.
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What other roles did Ken Starr have beyond being an investigator?
Beyond his role as the independent counsel who investigated the Monica Lewinsky affair, which led to Bill Clinton's impeachment, Ken Starr held several other significant positions. He served as a law clerk to Chief Justice Warren Burger (1975–77), counselor to the U.S. attorney general (1981–83), and as an appellate judge (1983–89). Starr was also the U.S. solicitor general from 1989 to 1993. Later in his career, Starr was dean of Pepperdine University’s law school (2004–10), president of Baylor University in 2010, and chancellor in 2013. He also participated in the defense team for President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Ken Starr (born July 21, 1946, Vernon, Texas, U.S.—died September 13, 2022, Houston) was an American lawyer best known as the independent counsel (1994–99) who headed the investigation of the Monica Lewinsky affair that led to the impeachment of U.S. Pres. Bill Clinton.
(Read Monica Lewinsky’s Britannica essay on cyberbullying.)
The son of a minister, Starr sold bibles door-to-door to earn money for college. After attending George Washington University (B.A., 1968) and Brown University (M.A., 1969), he earned a Juris Doctor degree (1973) from Duke University. He held government positions, serving as a law clerk (1975–77) to Chief Justice Warren Burger, as a counselor to the U.S. attorney general (1981–83), as an appellate judge (1983–89), and as U.S. solicitor general (1989–93).
In August 1994 Starr was named the independent counsel to lead the investigation into the so-called Whitewater affair, which involved a land deal in Arkansas during the time Clinton, a Democrat, was that state’s governor. As a result of the investigation, 11 people—including Clinton associates James and Susan McDougal—were convicted of crimes. Starr later looked into the suicide of White House counsel Vincent Foster, a longtime friend of the Clintons, but the matter was eventually closed. He subsequently was directed to investigate what came to be known as Travelgate, involving the firing of longtime White House workers, and Filegate, pertaining to FBI files on Republicans that were found in the White House. In 1998, however, allegations of an affair between Clinton and White House intern Monica Lewinsky became the focus of Starr’s attention.
Controversy surrounded Starr’s investigation, which included the media’s relentless reporting of lurid information, and both Starr and the White House were charged with making improper leaks. There were accusations that the investigative activities of Starr, a Republican, were politically motivated. Starr also was criticized for continuing to represent clients of his law firm, Kirkland & Ellis, and he was eventually forced to take an unpaid leave from the firm. After repeatedly denying the affair, in August 1998 Clinton publicly admitted to having a sexual relationship with Lewinsky. Less than a month later Starr released his report, which supported the charges that Clinton had committed perjury, obstructed justice, tampered with a witness, and abused his power as U.S. president. In the report, which was accompanied by voluminous evidence that included a semen-stained dress, tapes of telephone conversations, and grand jury testimony, Starr found that Clinton had lied under oath about a sexual relationship with Lewinsky and had taken steps to cover it up. The report was both legalistic in its tone and salacious in its explicit descriptions of sexual encounters between the two. Based on Starr’s findings, the House of Representatives voted to impeach the president in December 1998. The Senate acquitted Clinton the following year.
Starr drew sharp criticism for his work as independent counsel, and in 1999 he resigned. (He was replaced by Robert W. Ray, and the investigation continued until 2002, but no criminal charges were ever filed against Clinton.) Starr subsequently returned to private practice. He notably was on the defense team for financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of various crimes, including sex trafficking. In what many saw as a lenient deal, Epstein pleaded guilty to solicitation charges in 2008. Starr later served as dean of Pepperdine University’s law school (2004–10) before becoming president of Baylor University in 2010; he also became chancellor in 2013. During his tenure at Baylor, the school drew criticism for its response to a series of alleged sexual assaults, a number of which were reportedly committed by football players. In May 2016 an independent investigation released a report that claimed the university had seriously mishandled the accusations. Shortly thereafter Starr was removed as president, and he later resigned as the school’s chancellor. In 2018 he published Contempt: A Memoir of the Clinton Investigation. Two years later Starr joined Pres. Donald Trump’s defense team for his first impeachment trial in the Senate; Trump was ultimately acquitted.