was above $500,000 every year from 1922-33. In 1935, Hopson was subpoenaed, and did not show up, leading to a nationwide 'Hopson Hunt'. When Hopson was finally brought to court, the two chambers of Congress came into disagreement about who would get to question him. "the controversy between the committees of the House and Senate is child's play that is a representative of Congress." the Atlanta Constitution reported. They later compromised on both 'sharing' the questioning. AG&E and Hopson's examples led the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 to be passed. In the years following, AG&E (in a desperate attempt to avoid being broken up) consolidated, planning to bring the number of companies they owned down to 60 companies. In 1938, Hopson retired, taking an additional $18.7 million in bonds and billing himself for providing services to his companies. Wallowing in massive amounts of debt, on January 10, 1940, Associated Gas & Electric filed for bankruptcy. In the insolvency that followed, states and local communities filed nearly 400 lawsuits against the company. In November 1940 shareholders charged Hopson with fraud (the charges were for a total of 85 years in prison). On January 9, 1940, he was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison on 17 counts of mail fraud by Alfred Conkling Coxe Jr., and an additional two for income tax evasion. Hopson, at the time nearly insane from the effects of tertiary syphilis went to federal prison, in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania. In the bankruptcy of Associated Gas & Electric, Denis J. Driscoll and William Thorp were appointed to deal with the settlement and break up/reorganization of the company. In approving the reorganization, the SEC stated that AG&E was simply "media for a gigantic scheme to hinder, delay and defraud." The direct descendant of AG&E was the General Public Utilities corporation, and the New York State Gas and Electric Company. Other companies spun off include the Canadian Power Corporation, and Rochester Gas and Electric. Several other companies formed from AG&E are Metropolitan Edison Company, Pennsylvania Electric Company, Jersey Central Power & Light, today all part of FirstEnergy. The shareholders of 'senior debt' received $.08-.40 on the dollar, with shareholders of 'junior debt' being completely wiped out. Death After being released from prison in 1943, Hopson spent most of the rest of his life in Brooklea Sanatorium. Hopson died on December 22, 1949, in Greenwich, Connecticut, as a