Warren G. Harding's presidency was plagued with a series of scandals. What were some
of these scandals? Did Harding know about them?
From the earliest days of his administration, Warren G. Harding was no stranger to scandal.
There were many rumors circulating that Harding had engaged in multiple adulterous relationships
with no less than four different women. One rumor even claimed that he had fathered a
child with one of these women. However, most of the scandals involving the
Harding administration did not involve Harding himself, but others in his administration.
Harding appointed several of his longtime political supporters to key government positions.
These were posts that allowed these men to control, manipulate, and pilfer large sums
of government money and resources. This group of men became known as the "Ohio Gang" because
of their close ties to that state. The most notable scandal associated with the
Harding presidency has become known as the Tea Pot Dome Scandal. Tea Pot Dome was a rock
formation in Wyoming. Under this rock formation was the U.S. Navy's petroleum reserves. In
1922, Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall, leased the rights to produce oil on this land
(as well as two other locations in California) to the Sinclair Oil Corporation, and the Pan-American
Petroleum and Transport Company. He made this decision without allowing other companies
to competitively bid for the contracts. This was legal at the time, but seen as unethical.
As the U.S. Senate investigated the scandal, it was discovered that Fall had also become
instantly wealthy following the lease agreement. It was eventually revealed that Fall had accepted
bribes from the two companies in exchange for the production rights. Fall was sentenced to a year in jail due to misconduct while in office.
Tea Pot Dome was not the only scandal associated with the Harding administration. The Attorney
General, Harry Daugherty, and his personal aide, Jess W. Smith, were embroiled in their
own scandal. Pharmacies were legally allowed to buy and sell alcohol if they acquired the
appropriate permits from the government. It was discovered that Smith was selling these
permits illegally to bootleggers, who were purchasing and selling alcohol under the guise
of owning a pharmacy. Smith was reaping large profits from these illegal permits.
The director of the Veteran's Bureau, Charles Forbes, was also accused of wrongdoing. Forbes
was responsible for overseeing the construction of veteran's hospitals all across the country.
These contracts were worth millions of dollars to the construction companies they were awarded
to. Forbes accepted large bribes from corrupt construction companies who also treated him
to wild parties and illegal liquor as he toured the nation at the taxpayers' expense.
At least three others that Harding had appointed to their government positions were discovered
to be taking bribes. These scandals forever tainted the Harding administration, and to
this day, it has been remembered as one of the most corrupt presidential administrations
in history.