Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois, who was impeached on corruption accusations, was convicted and thrown out of office by the state Senate on Thursday.

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich speaks to the media during a news conference in Chicago, Illinois January 23, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

While Blagojevich became the first U.S. governor in more than two decades to be removed by impeachment, Democratic Lt. Governor Patrick Quinn automatically replaced him to be the new Illinois Governor.

Blagojevich was arrested on December 9, accused of scheming to benefit from his power to name President Barack Obama’s replacement in the U.S. Senate. The Illinois Senate declared impeachment of Blagojevich on Jan. 9 on additional charges of circumventing hiring laws and defying decisions by the General Assembly.

Blagojevich had insisted that the impeachment was unfair. He went to the Senate to make a last-minute plea earlier in the day, but the senators didn’t buy it.

In a state Senate impeachment trial, a two-thirds majority vote is needed to convict and remove the governor. Before Blagojevich, no Illinois governor had ever been impeached or ousted.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet