Up until the 1970’s, if you asked anyone what the biggest U.S. Presidential scandal of all time was, they would most likely say “Teapot Dome.” Sensationalized, decades-long trials ensued in the courts and U.S. senate, resulting in the first presidential cabinet member being sent to prison. Once considered the most popular U.S. President up until his death in 1923, Warren Harding is now considered the worst president of all time — thanks in large part to the Teapot Dome affair.

The scandal centered around the Teapot Dome oil field in Natrona County, Wyoming, which had been set aside as naval oil reserves by president William Howard Taft prior to World War I. After his surprise nomination and subsequent election in 1920, President Warren Harding — a successful Ohio businessman and United States Senator — appointed campaign contributors and close allies to various federal positions. This infamous band of cronies became known as the “Ohio Gang.” One of these men was Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall, the former U.S. Senator from New Mexico who sought to use his new position for personal gain. Just two months after President Harding’s inauguration, Secretary Fall got the president to sign Executive Order 3474, which effectively transferred control of the Teapot Dome oil field from the Navy Department to the Department of the Interior.

Right away, Secretary Fall began accepting bribes from the highest-paying bidder. He handed out exclusive oil production rights on Teapot Dome to Harry Sinclair of Sinclair Oil, and Edward Doheny of Pan American Petroleum in exchange for kickbacks amounting to over $5-million in today’s dollars. After President Harding’s untimely death in office in 1923, a number of scandals came to light including Teapot Dome. After a lengthy investigation by the U.S. Senate, spearheaded by Senator Thomas J. Walsh of Montana, Secretary Fall was convicted of criminal conspiracy and bribery, becoming the first presidential cabinet member to go to prison. The Teapot Dome oil field sat idle until 1976 when drilling resumed, producing over 22 million barrels of oil and generating $569 million in revenue for the federal government over the course of 39 years. It was eventually sold under the Obama administration to a private oil company in 2015.

#ExploreAlways #HistoricScandals #HistoricPlaces #Travel #NeverStopExploring #travelblogging #tourism #wanderluster #inspiredtravels #exploringtheglobe #getaway #adventuretime #adventureseeker #TeapotDome

🌍✈️⛰🗽🚍🏝🌍✈️

Explore Always is produced by Frager Productions. For inquiries, please email [email protected].

SUBSCRIBE to get the latest videos: http://bit.ly/2GYwLvB

Connect with Explore Always online:
Follow on FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/3i646Vg