Reports of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's days-long disappearance in June were not greatly exaggerated. When the media got word on June 22 that neither the governor's office nor the state's law-enforcement division, which provides security for governors, had had any contact with Sanford for four days, it seemed a bit strange. But when First Lady Jenny Sanford said she hadn't heard from him and didn't know exactly where he had gone, it seemed downright nuts. After a few hours, she said simply that he had needed time away from their four sons to write something. His office, apparently also unaware of his whereabouts, maintained that his off-the-grid furloughs were typical; Sanford hated his security detail and had shut off all communication with his office during this particular vanishing act. Still, it was flooded with questions about the oddity and finally issued a statement late in the day on June 22 saying Governor Sanford had gone off to hike on the Appalachian Trail. But two days later, after being away from his state for nearly a week, he returned and held a press conference to explain where he had actually been: in Argentina with his lover, María Belén Chapur. He had gone there to see her allegedly to break off the affair over Father's Day weekend. Calls for his resignation quickly grew to a fever pitch, but he has remained resolute. Jenny, on the other hand, packed her bags and moved with their kids into their summer home. And on Nov. 23, the South Carolina State Ethics Commission charged him with 37 counts of breaking ethics laws.
The Top 10 Everything of 2009
- Top 10 Albums
- Top 10 Animal Stories
- Top 10 Apologies
- Top 10 Art Exhibitions
- Top 10 Awkward Moments
- Top 10 Best Business Deals
- Top 10 Breakups
- Top 10 Buzzwords
- Top 10 Children's Books
- Top 10 Crime Stories
- Top 10 Editorial Cartoons
- Top 10 Facebook Stories
- Top 10 Fashion Faux Pas
- Top 10 Fashion Moments
- Top 10 Feuds
- Top 10 Fiction Books
- Top 10 Fleeting Celebrities
- Top 10 Gadgets
- Top 10 Green Ideas
- Top 10 Heroes
- Top 10 iPhone Apps
- Top 10 Late-Night Jokes
- Top 10 Magazine Covers
- Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs
- Top 10 Movie Performances
- Top 10 Movies
- Top 10 New Species
- Top 10 News Stories
- Top 10 Nonfiction Books
- Top 10 Oddball News Stories
- Top 10 Pariahs
- Top 10 Pictures of the Year
- Top 10 Plays and Musicals
- Top 10 Political Gaffes
- Top 10 Quotes
- Top 10 Religion Stories
- Top 10 Scandals
- Top 10 Scientific Discoveries
- Top 10 Songs
- Top 10 Sports Moments
- Top 10 T-Shirt-Worthy Slogans
- Top 10 TV Ads
- Top 10 TV Episodes
- Top 10 TV Series
- Top 10 Tweets
- Top 10 Underreported Stories
- Top 10 Untruths
- Top 10 Video Games
- Top 10 Viral Videos
- Top 10 Worst Biz Deals
TIME charts the highs and lows of the past year in 50 wide-ranging lists