Senator contracts to buy $3.8 million mansion
By The Associated Press
September 27, 2002 1:47 am
Posted on 09/27/2002 6:15:15 AM PDT by Constitution Day
Senator contracts to buy $3.8 million mansion
By The Associated Press
September 27, 2002 1:47 am
The self-described "people's senator" from North Carolina is trading in his Washington mansion for an even bigger one in a better neighborhood.
Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., and his wife have signed a contract on a $3.8 million home in Georgetown, Washington's historic neighborhood, according to The Charlotte Observer.
Elizabeth Edwards said they decided to move because their old house had no yard where their two young children could play freely. They also have a contract to sell their present home near Embassy Row. It was listed at $3.9 million, which would earn them a more than 75 percent profit for the less than two years they owned the home.
Their new neighborhood features tree-lined streets of elegant mansions and homes dating to the 1700s. The 8-bedroom, 6,672-square-foot home the Edwardses are buying has a storied past itself.
The previous owners of the 1820 mansion were Clayton and Polly Fritchey. He was an influential newspaper columnist and adviser to President Truman. She was a socialite and promoter of the arts in Washington, particularly the Kennedy Center and Folger Shakespeare Theatre.
Proud of his humble beginnings as the son of a Baltimore & Ohio Railroad engineer, Clayton Fritchey used his columns to fight for the little guy. Liberal for his times, he wrote about the tyranny of the powerful and corrupt over those who played by the rules.
Sound familiar?
Edwards is proud of his roots in Carolinas mill towns, often talks of how he fought for "the little guy" as a personal injury lawyer and has made little secret of his ambitions for the White House, though not as an adviser.
"The history of the house is pretty engaging," said Elizabeth Edwards.
One of her favorite features is the backyard garden of boxwoods. It was designed by Perry Wheeler, who drew the plans for the White House Rose Garden for Jackie Kennedy.
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LOL, guess it's all in the priorities one sets. Kids take a back burner to a well equipped kitchen before I consider coughing up $3.8 million.
John Edwards Tried to Sell Home to Saudi Agent while on Intell Committee
WASHINGTON - While a member of Congress' investigation into U.S. and Saudi intelligence failures, presidential hopeful John Edwards agreed to sell his home for $3.52 million to the public relations expert hired by Saudi Arabia to counter charges it was soft on terrorism.
Edwards, a Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee (search ), said Friday he learned sometime during the course of the 2002 transaction -- months after the initial offer was signed but before the deal fell apart -- that Michael Petruzzello (search) worked for Saudi Arabia.
Though the sale broke off nearly a year ago, Edwards hasn't returned or publicly disclosed Petruzzello's $100,000 deposit, which remains in a real estate escrow account as the senator decides what to do with it. Edwards recently sold the house to another buyer for a half-million dollars less than Petruzzello's offer.
"If I took control of the $100,000, I would disclose it because that would be an asset of mine and it would be necessary that it should be disclosed. And that disclosure would include making sure that it was appropriate because of the legal issues associated it with it," Edwards told The Associated Press.
The Senate ethics manual says lawmakers are obligated to avoid financial transactions that create even the "possibility or appearance" of a conflict of interest or if "they have personal financial stakes in the outcome of their official duties." Discretion is left to the senator.
Edwards said he handled the transaction through real estate agents and doesn't believe he had any obligation to try to learn about Petruzzello's clients. He said he never had any suspicions, even after learning of the Saudi connection while he and other Intelligence Committee members were still investigating Saudi Arabia's possible complicity in the Sept. 11 attacks.
more...
http://www.washingtonlife.com/issues/2003-11/realestate/
North Carolina Senator John B. Edwards' former home at 2215 30th Street, N.W. in Massachusetts Avenue Heights has been sold to the Hungarian government for $3 million. The seven bedroom manse with eight full and two half baths will serve as the new official residence of Ambassador Andras Simonyi, who is expected to move in next month after remodeling and repainting. Neighbors may be interested to note that the ambassador plays the electric guitar and, in addition to his native tongue, speaks English, Danish, German, Dutch and French. He and his wife, Náda Peják, have two grown children.
Howlin, does he own another house in Raleigh? If so, how about getting a photo of that also so we can add to the regular guy collection?
Average houses of regular guy voters, who are fortunate if they have a summer timeshare in addition to their primary residence:
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