
Peter Yarrow: How did this child molester score a presidential pardon?
In recent years, presidential pardons have become contentious as former U.S. President Donald Trump moved to pardon many of his colleagues & friends at the end of his time in office. In light of that, it seems strange that one of the most outrageous pardons in United States history originally received very little media attention at all.
President Jimmy Carter pardoned Peter Yarrow, of the famous singer-songwriter group Peter, Paul, and Mary, on his last day in office in 1981. It may be the only time in the nation’s history that a President has given a pardon to a convicted child molester.
Now the pardon is finally receiving the attention it deserves. Forty years after Carter pardoned Peter Yarrow, another woman came forward to accuse the songwriter of luring her to a hotel and raping her in 1969. Find out the details below.
Barbara Winter
Barbara Winter was fourteen years old on August 31st, 1969, when her older sister took her to the Shoreham Hotel to meet Peter Yarrow. Winter’s sister, who was seventeen at the time, was the president of Washington, DC’s Peter Yarrow fan club. The girls called Yarrow’s room from the lobby, and he invited them to come upstairs.
In a sworn statement that Winters gave to the police, she said that Yarrow molested her while making her sister watch. She said Yarrow told her not to tell anyone what had happened. She kept the secret for six months before finally telling a friend in 1970. Soon, her mother & stepfather learned what happened and called the police.
Yarrow pleaded guilty to taking “immoral and improper liberties” with a child. He insisted that the fourteen-year-old Winters was a willing participant. She has always denied that claim.
Before Yarrow was sentenced, Winter’s mother sued the songwriter for $1.25 million. She claimed there had been multiple incidents of Yarrow abusing not just Winters, but also her older sister. The suit was settled for an undisclosed amount, and the Winters family soon relocated to New Hampshire.
Peter Yarrow was initially sentenced to one-to-three years in prison, but the judge decided to suspend all but three months of his sentence. Yarrow was released from prison on November 25th, 1970. The release came three days early, so that Yarrow could return home for Thanksgiving.
Getting a pardon
Peter Yarrow went on to have a successful career, even after pleading guilty to child molestation. Yarrow filed a petition for pardon on December 10th, 1980. In the petition, he asked for the pardon in order to lighten “the sense of shame” he said his children would inevitably feel upon learning of his conviction.
Most pardon applications take a year or more to be properly vetted. In addition to that, pardons can only be applied to federal crimes, meaning state-level crimes like child molestation cannot be pardoned. Had Peter Yarrow’s conviction occurred anywhere other than Washington D.C., which isn’t a state, he wouldn’t have been eligible for a pardon.
Peter Yarrow’s application was processed in under five weeks. It remains unclear how the pardon came to be granted on such short notice. President Carter issued the pardon on his last day in office. News of the American hostages in Iran being freed quickly buried the pardon story, and Yarrow returned to his regular life.
On February 24th, 2021, a new lawsuit was filed in New York, where the 2019 Child Victims Act opened a window for abuse victims to sue their attackers regardless of how long ago the abuse had taken place. The new suit claims Peter Yarrow encouraged a young girl to come see him in New York, and when she did, he raped her before buying her a plane ticket to return home the next day. The lawsuit is still ongoing.
Peter Yarrow, a prominent member of the iconic folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, enjoyed a celebrated career marked by hits like “Puff, the Magic Dragon” and “If I Had a Hammer.” However, his legacy was tainted by a deeply troubling conviction in 1970 for an incident involving a 14-year-old girl. This event and its subsequent pardon by President Jimmy Carter have continued to cast a shadow over Yarrow’s contributions to music and activism.
In 1969, Yarrow was involved in an incident where he took “immoral and improper liberties” with a minor. The event occurred when the girl and her sister sought Yarrow’s autograph at his Washington, D.C., hotel room. Yarrow answered the door naked and proceeded to engage in inappropriate conduct with the 14-year-old. The specifics of the case included forcing the girl to engage in sexual acts. Convicted the following year, Yarrow received a sentence of one to three years in prison. However, he served only three months, benefiting from leniency often criticized as indicative of systemic inequities in the justice system.
Despite the conviction, Yarrow remained active in music and social causes, often using his platform to advocate for peace, civil rights, and environmentalism. His conviction, however, was not forgotten. Seeking to mitigate its impact on his personal and professional life, Yarrow applied for a presidential pardon in the late 1970s. He cited concerns about how the stigma of the conviction might affect his children, who were then eight and nine years old, as a key motivator for the application.
On January 19, 1981, during his last full day in office, President Jimmy Carter granted Yarrow a full and unconditional pardon. The pardon restored Yarrow’s civil rights, including the right to vote, and was among 11 pardons Carter issued that day. The decision, however, drew criticism from those who saw it as an undue favor for a prominent figure. Yarrow expressed regret for his actions and emphasized his hope that the pardon would allow his children to see that, despite his wrongdoing, he had worked to contribute positively to society. The timing of the pardon coincided with significant global news—the release of American hostages in Iran—which dominated headlines and contributed to limited public scrutiny of Carter’s decision. Nonetheless, Yarrow’s past resurfaced periodically, especially as society grew more critical of how sexual misconduct cases were handled. In later years, the conviction had tangible consequences for Yarrow’s public engagements.
In 2019, for instance, he was disinvited from performing at a folk festival in New York after organizers were reminded of his conviction. These incidents highlighted how Yarrow’s misconduct continued to affect his career, even decades after the event. Critics of Carter’s pardon argued that it undermined the seriousness of Yarrow’s actions and sent a troubling message about accountability, particularly for public figures. While Yarrow’s musical achievements and activism were undeniable, many felt that the pardon represented a dismissal of the harm caused by his actions. Peter Yarrow passed away on January 7, 2025, at the age of 86 due to complications from bladder cancer. His death rekindled discussions about his dual legacy—one of musical brilliance and one of personal failings. On the one hand, his work with Peter, Paul and Mary was foundational to the American folk music movement, inspiring generations of activists and artists.
On the other hand, his conviction and subsequent pardon served as a sobering reminder of the importance of accountability, regardless of one’s fame or accomplishments. Yarrow’s story underscores the complexities of public figures whose contributions to art and culture coexist with deeply problematic personal actions. While his music continues to be celebrated, his past remains a cautionary tale about the impact of personal choices and the need for society to reconcile talent with ethical conduct. In the end, Yarrow’s legacy is a blend of inspiration and controversy, leaving a complex narrative for fans and critics alike to grapple with.