The excited states of several families of thermally stable radical ions in solution are surveyed by transient absorption and steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy to determine prevalent deactivation mode(s). Of the species investigated, weak fluorescence can be observed only for substituted triarylamine radical cations, presumably from their lowest excited doublet states. The primary excited-state deactivation pathway for radical anions of the quinones, aryl ketones, and cyanoarene hydrocarbons examined here is internal conversion from the lowest excited doublet state to the ground-state doublet. The efficiency of this deactivation mode arises typically from a low D-0-D-1 energy gap, as demonstrated by near-infrared absorbance in each species. Contrary to a prior literature report, the 9,10-anthraquinone radical anion and the 9,10-dicyanoanthracene radical anion are nonluminescent in solution. Luminescent side products generated in ground-state reactions of these radical anions are identified as 9,9-bianthrone dianion (from the dimerization and deoxygenation of the anthraquinone radical anion) and 10-cyanoanthrolate (from the reaction of dicyanoanthracene radical anion with molecular oxygen).