For all the shock over allegations that Gov. Rod Blagojevich attempted to “sell a Senate seat” to the highest bidder, it’s actually not the first time in Illinois that the concept of “kicking out some cash” led to an aspiring politician becoming a U.S. Senator.

The 1909 race for Senate took months to resolve and ended with an incumbent forced out of office in place of a sitting Congressman from the same party. Republican political boss William Lorimer was eventually tossed out of the Senate after years of controversy over allegations that he paid bribes to win the seat.

Freelance journalist Robert Loerzel wrote about the scandal for Huffington Post.