SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the boy-faced Chicago Democrat, swept into power six years ago as a self-proclaimed antidote to the corruption of his predecessor.

He exited Thursday as a disgraced criminal defendant who had to be wrenched from office by angry lawmakers.

Turning aside a last-ditch plea of innocence from the 52-year-old second-term governor, a state Senate tribunal Thursday afternoon unanimously removed him for "a pattern of abuse of power." It forcefully ended a humiliating national political drama that had paralyzed the state's government in Springfield, caused a showdown in the U.S. Senate and created an unwelcome distraction for President Barack Obama's new administration.

"The ordeal is over," newly installed Gov. Patrick Quinn announced in the Illinois House chamber — to thunderous applause from state lawmakers — moments after he was sworn in as the state's 41st governor.

The final removal vote came on the fourth day of Blagojevich's impeachment trial, after an extraordinary closing speech in which he sought to portray himself as a dedicated public servant being persecuted for his zeal to help working people. He warned that his removal would set a "dangerous precedent" for Illinois, and he pressed lawmakers to allow him to subpoena presidential chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and other prominent figures to Springfield as defense witnesses.

"What did I do, except provide health care to low-income families?" Blagojevich asked the hushed Senate chamber in a speech laced with references to the American Dream, his immigrant-steelworker father and his duty to his family and the state. He bluntly denied federal charges — allegedly backed up by wiretapped audio of his conversations at his home and office — that he systematically tried to squeeze campaign money and other benefits out of various sources.

"I want to apologize to you for what happened, but I can't because I didn't do anything wrong," he told senators.

Blagojevich still faces federal criminal charges that he attempted to extort campaign donations and other personal benefits using the power of his office, and that he sought to personally profit from his power to appoint a replacement for Obama's former U.S. Senate seat. He was arrested by federal agents Dec. 9 at his Chicago home, kicking off almost two months of blistering national media coverage of Illinois' famously corrupt political system just as the state had been enjoying the ascension of one of its own, Obama, as president.

Blagojevich spoke to reporters and neighbors who gathered outside his home on Chicago's North Side Thursday, hours after the 59-0 state Senate vote to remove him as governor, and a second unanimous vote to ban him from public office in the future. He said he was saddened but not surprised by the decision. Echoing a refrain he had made to national talk show hosts in the past week, he called the outcome "a fixed deal from the very beginning."

Reaction from elsewhere was less generous.

"Instead of resigning immediately (after his arrest), Rod Blagojevich put our state through weeks of turmoil at a time when many Illinoisans wanted to share in the joy of having just elected one of our own to the presidency," U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in a prepared statement. "Today, the Illinois Senate came to the only reasonable conclusion: Blagojevich can not continue to serve as our governor. It is now time to close this chapter in Illinois history."

Quinn, the new governor, is a longtime fixture in and around Illinois government, known for years as a populist rabble-rouser on issues such as utility rates, recall votes and transparency in government.

He was Blagojevich's lieutenant governor under an usual Illinois election system in which voters in each political party elect governor and lieutenant governor separately, then present them as a single ticket in the general election.

Quinn in recent years has emerged as one of Blagojevich's most vocal public critics. He told the Post-Dispatch in an interview last summer that the two haven't spoken during most of Blagojevich's second term, which began in January 2007.

In a news conference after his swearing-in, Quinn vowed to immediately review the state's finances and figure out "what the damage is." He said he would be reopening state historic sites and public parks that were closed by Blagojevich budget cuts last year, and he vowed to take down road signs all over the state that were erected with Blagojevich's name on them, without replacing them with his own name.

In addition, Quinn said, he would move into the Executive Mansion in Springfield. Blagojevich's decision to remain a Chicago resident during his tenure as governor, leaving the historic official mansion empty, has been widely viewed as an insult to downstate Illinois.

"I look forward to living in the governor's mansion. It is the people's house," said Quinn, who is currently a Chicago resident but has previously lived in other parts of the state, including the Metro East.

By Thursday evening, Blagojevich's name already was removed from the state's official website, replaced with Quinn's name.

Blagojevich is the second consecutive Illinois governor to be charged criminally for corruption. Former Gov. George Ryan, a Republican, currently is serving six-and-a-half years federal prison sentence for trading official favors for personal gifts and political donations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

kmcdermott@post-dispatch.com | 217-782-4912