political scandal in the United States

This article provides a list of political scandals that involve officials from the government of the United States, sorted from oldest to most recent.

Scope and organization of political scandals

This article is organized by presidential terms in order, older to recent, and then divided into scandals of the federal Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government. Members of both parties are listed under the term of the president in office at the time the scandal took place, even though they may not be connected with the presiding president.

In this article, the term "politician" (a person who is professionally involved in politics) includes not only those elected, but also party officials, candidates for office, their staffs and appointees. Please note that every president directly selects, appoints or hires several thousand people. Each of them selects thousands more. Private citizens should only be mentioned when they are closely linked to the scandal or politician, such as Jack Abramoff. This list also does not include crimes that occur outside the politician's tenure (such as before or after his term in office) unless they specifically stem from acts made while in office and discovered later.

Scandal is defined as "loss of or damage to reputation caused by actual or apparent violation of morality or propriety". Scandals are separate from 'controversies', (which implies two differing points of view) and 'unpopularity'. Many decisions are controversial, many decisions are unpopular, that alone does not make them scandals. Breaking the law is a scandal. The finding of a court is the sole method used to determine a violation of law, but it is not the sole method of determining a scandal. Also included as scandals are politicians who resign, quit, run, or commit suicide while being investigated or threatened with investigation.

Notoriety is a major determinant of a scandal, that is, the amount of press dedicated to it. Misunderstandings, breaches of ethics, unproven crimes or cover-ups may or may not result in inclusion depending on the standing of the accused, the amount of publicity generated, and the seriousness of the crime, if any. Drunk driving may be a conviction, but is usually too minor and too common to mention unless there are multiple convictions and/or jail time.

Given the political nature of Congress in which the leading party has determining power, politicians who are rebuked, denounced, censured, admonished, condemned, suspended, reprimanded, found in contempt, found to have acted improperly, or used poor judgement are ''not'' included unless the scandal is exceptional or leads to expulsion or conviction.

Government under the Articles of Confederation (1777–1789)

* Thomas Conway and Horatio Gates created a movement or conspiracy, known as the Conway Cabal, to remove George Washington as Commander of the Continental Army. (1777–1778)
* Silas Deane was appointed by the Continental Congress to be Ambassador to France. He was accused of mismanagement and treason. As he was attempting to clear himself of the charges, he died suddenly. The charges were eventually reversed or dropped. (1777)

George Washington administrations (1789–1797)

Legislative branch

* Senator William Blount (Democratic-Republican-TN) was expelled from the Senate for trying to aid the British in a takeover of West Florida. (1797)

John Adams administration (1797–1801)

Executive branch

* The XYZ Affair was the French seizure of over 300 US ships and demands for bribes and apologies, which led to a Quasi-War causing the US Congress to issue the famous phrase, "Millions for defense, sir, but not one cent for tribute!". Real war was averted by treaty. (1798–1800)

Legislative branch

* Matthew Lyon (Democratic-Republican KY) was the first Congressman recommended for censure for spitting on Ralph Griswold (Federalist-CT). The censure failed to pass. Also found guilty of violating John Adams's Alien and Sedition Acts and sentenced to four months in jail, during which he was re-elected. (1798)

Thomas Jefferson administrations (1801–1809)

Executive branch

* General James Wilkinson was appointed to be Governor of the upper Louisiana Purchase. He then conspired with Spain to get Kentucky to secede from the Union in order to allow shipping on the Mississippi to reach New Orleans. (1787–1811)
* Aaron Burr and the New Empire (Southwest) Burr conspiracy (1804–1807) – Burr allegedly tried to seize a large part of the Louisiana Purchase and establish his own country. He was arrested for treason, but was acquitted for lack of evidence. (1807)
* Aaron Burr dueled with Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton died of wounds received during the duel. (1804)

Judicial branch

* Samuel Chase, the Supreme Court Justice appointed by George Washington, was impeached for political favoritism and acquitted in 1805.
* John Pickering, a federal judge appointed by George Washington, was impeached and convicted in absentia by the US Senate for drunkenness and use of profanity on the bench. (1804)
* Benjamin Sebastian US Court of Appeals Judge, was accused in the Spanish Conspiracy, of being a paid agent of Spain. He resigned in disgrace. (1806)

James Monroe administrations (1817–1825)

Legislative branch

* Corrupt Bargain was a supposed bargain by John Quincy Adams with Henry Clay. (1824)

Andrew Jackson administrations (1829–1837)

Executive branch

* Samuel Swartwout was appointed by President Andrew Jackson to the New York City Collector's Office. At the end of his term he had embezzled $1.225 million in customs receipts and used the money to purchase land. He fled to Europe to avoid prosecution.
* Margaret O'Neill Eaton, the wife of Secretary of War John H. Eaton, was a central figure in the Petticoat Affair which involved accusations that she had engaged in an extramarital affair, and her social ostracism by the wives of other Cabinet members led by Floride Calhoun, the wife of Vice President John C. Calhoun.

Legislative branch

* Robert Potter North Carolina Congressman, resigned from Congress after castrating two men he believed were having an affair with his wife. (1831) Later, in North Carolina, he was expelled from its legislature for cheating at cards or for pulling a gun and a knife during a card game. (1835)

John Tyler administration (1841–1845)

Legislative branch

* Charles F. Mitchell (R-NY) US Representative from the 33rd District, was convicted of forgery, sentenced to one year in prison and fined, though he was paroled early due to poor health. (1841)

Zachary Taylor administration (1849–1850)

Executive branch

* George W. Crawford (Whig-GA), Secretary of War in the Cabinet of President Zachary Taylor (Whig), was the center of the Galphin Affair land scandal with the help of Reverdy Johnson (Whig) Attorney General and William M. Meredith (Whig) Secretary of the Treasury, in which Crawford defrauded the federal government of $191,353. (1849)

Franklin Pierce administration (1853-1857)

Legislative branch

* Preston Brooks (D-SC) US Representative and fervent advocate of slavery, beat abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner (R-MA), until his cane broke, leaving him bleeding and unconscious on the floor of the House of Representatives. (1856)

James Buchanan administration (1857–1861)

Legislative branch

* US Representative Orsamus B. Matteson (R-NY), faced an allegation of having defamed the character of the US House by declaring that a majority of its members were 'purchasable'. He himself was then accused of accepting money in exchange for supporting a Minnesota land bill. The House recommendation that he be expelled was tabled and a recommendation of censure was brought up, but before it could be passed, Matteson resigned. (1857)

Abraham Lincoln (R) administration (1861–1865)

Executive branch

* Simon Cameron (R), Lincoln's Secretary of War, resigned in 1862 due to corruption charges. His behavior was so notorious that Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, when discussing Cameron's honesty with Lincoln, told him that "I don't think that he would steal a red hot stove." When Cameron demanded Stevens retract this statement, Stevens told Lincoln "I believe I told you he would not steal a red-hot stove. I will now take that back." (1860–1862)
* Caleb Lyon (R) was appointed Governor of the Idaho Territory. An audit revealed that he had embezzled $46,418 in federal funds intended for the Nez Perce Indians. He died before prosecution. (1866)

Legislative branch

* Jesse D. Bright (D-IN) US Senator and Pro Tem President of the US Senate, was known as a leading southern sympathizer. When it was discovered that he had written a letter to President Jefferson Davis aiding him in his pursuit of firearms for the Confederacy, it was taken to be an act of treason. Bright was then expelled from the Senate. (1861)
* James F. Simmons (R-RI) US Senator had confirmed corruption charges against him reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the charges were then referred to the full Senate for action on July 14, 1862. The Senate adjourned three days later without acting. Before it could reconvene, Simmons resigned on September 5, 1862.
* Lovell Harrison Rousseau (R-KY) US Representative assaulted Iowa Representative Josiah Bushnell Grinnell on June 14, 1866, with his iron handled cane until it broke. He was reprimanded by the House of Representatives, and resigned, but was elected again to fill his own vacancy. (1866)

Andrew Johnson (R) administration (1865–1869)

Executive branch

* President Andrew Johnson (D/Union Party) was impeached for violating the Tenure of Office Act. He was acquitted by one vote. (1868)

Ulysses S. Grant (R) administrations (1869–1877)

Executive branch

* United States Secretary of War William Belknap (R) resigned just before he was impeached by the United States House of Representatives for bribery. (1876)
* Schuyler Colfax (R-IN) Vice President under Republican U. S. Grant invested money in the Crédit Mobilier Scandal and failed to mention $10,000 they invested in his next campaign. He was examined by the House, but his term ended before he could be impeached. (1873)
* Whiskey Ring was a massive corruption of Ulysses S. Grant's (R) administration involving whiskey taxes, bribery and kickbacks ending with 110 convictions. (1875)
# Orville E. Babcock (R), a personal secretary to Grant, was indicted in the Whiskey Ring scandal and ten days later in the Safe Burglary Conspiracy. He was acquitted both times.
# John J. McDonald (R), Supervisor of the Internal Revenue Service, was convicted and sentenced to three years.
# W.O. Avery, Chief Clerk of the Treasury Department, was convicted.
# Eastern Wisconsin Federal Attorney Levi Hubbell (R) was suspended from office for his involvement with the Whiskey Ring through contact with Milwaukee brewers. (1875)
* William Adams Richardson (R), U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, hired John B. Sanborn to collect unpaid taxes, some of which were used in a kickback scheme. Though not illegal, Congressional outrage forced Richardson to resign. The actions were made illegal a few months later and are now called the Sanborn Incident. (1874)
* Black Friday – When financiers Jay Gould and James Fisk tried to corner the gold market by getting Ulysses S. Grant's brother-in-law Abel Corbin to convince Grant to appoint General Daniel Butterfield as Assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury, where he could then give them insider information. (1869)
* George M. Robeson, Grant's Secretary of the Navy, was admonished by the House for gross misconduct and corruption in relation to his dealings with Alexander Cattel. (1876)
* Salary Grab Act was the act that increased the salaries of the President, Congress and the Supreme Court. (1873)
* Columbus Delano, the Secretary of the Interior under Grant, resigned after allegedly taking bribes in order to secure fraudulent land grants.

Legislative branch

* Crédit Mobilier of America scandal:
# Oakes Ames (R-MA) bribed Congress with Union Pacific stock.
# James Brooks (D-NY) also implicated; both were censured for their involvement. (1872)
# James W. Patterson (R-NH) US Senator, was found to have given false testimony to both the House and Senate Ethics Committees, both of whom found him guilty of bribery in the Crédit Mobilier Scandal. They both recommended his expulsion from the Senate, but Patterson's term expired before such action could be taken. (1873)
# See also William Belknap (R) Secretary of War under Republican U. S. Grant
# See also Schuyler Colfax (R-IN) Vice President under Republican U. S. Grant
* Alexander Caldwell (R-KS) US Senator, was elected to the US Senate. It was discovered that his rival candidate, Thomas Carney, dropped out of the race, admitting that he had accepted a bribe of $15,000 to leave the race allowing Caldwell to win. He was impeached and the US Senate declared that Caldwell had not been "duly and legally elected" and moved to expel him. Before a vote could be taken, Caldwell resigned (1873)
* Samuel C. Pomeroy (R-KS) US Senator, was being investigated for bribery and buying votes. A motion to impeach and expel Pomeroy was made, but arrived on the last day of Pomeroy's term, who was not re-elected. (1873)
* John T. Deweese (R-NC) US Representative, was accused of accepting a $500 bribe for recommending a cadet be appointed to the US Naval Academy. On February 28, 1870, he abruptly resigned. Two days later, the House of Representatives censured him, 170–0. (1870)
* Benjamin Franklin Whittemore (R-SC) US Representative, was found to have sold an appointment to the US Naval Academy. He was found guilty and forced to resign.(1870)
* James G. Blaine (R-ME) US Representative, faced an allegation of selling $64,000 of worthless Union Pacific Railroad bonds. The House Committee of the Judiciary ordered an investigation. A month later, he resigned. (1876)

Judicial branch

* Mark Delahay (R) a U.S. District Judge of Kansas and cofounder of the Republican Party, was impeached by the United States House of Representatives on February 28, 1873, for "intoxication off the bench as well as on the bench", He resigned two months later. (1873)
* Richard Busteed (R) US Judge from the Northern District of Alabama, spent much of his time at home in New York though serving in Alabama. Southern sympathizers brought charges against him for non-residence, failure to hold court and improper use of his position. To avoid being removed from office, he resigned before impeachment. (1874)
* Levi Hubbell (R) US Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, accused of corruption for failing to prosecute whisky distributors who were bribing US Revenue agents. Forced to resign. (1875)
* William Story (R) Judge of the US District Court for the Western District of Arkansas appointed by Republican Ulysses S. Grant. Graft and corruption in the court became so bad that Story appeared before the House Judiciary Committee. He resigned soon after. (1874)
* Charles Taylor Sherman (R) Federal Judge of the Northern District of Ohio, was alleged to have demanded stocks in exchange for favorable rulings and threatened adverse rulings if they were not paid. He resigned before impeachment began. (1873)

Rutherford B. Hayes (R) administration (1877–1881)

Executive branch

* Ezra Ayres Hayt, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs under Rutherford B. Hayes, was forced to resign by Interior Secretary Carl Schurz due to allegations of rampant corruption. (1880)

Judicial branch

* US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Judge Edward Henry Durell (R) was impeached for alleged drunkenness, corruption, and election-rigging. He resigned before trial. (1879)

James A. Garfield (R) administration (1881)

Legislative branch

* Senator Stephen W. Dorsey (R-AR) was included in the investigation of corruption of Star Route postal contracts under the administrations of President James A. Garfield (R) and President Chester A. Arthur (R). (1881)

Chester A. Arthur (R) administration (1881–1885)

Executive branch

* Nehemiah G. Ordway (R) was appointed Governor of Dakota Territory and was removed from office for corrupt practices. (1884)
* Levi Jarrad (R) was appointed US Postmaster for New Brunswick, NJ by President Chester A. Arthur (R) in 1881. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for forgery in 1884.

Grover Cleveland (D) administration (1885–1889)

Legislative branch

* Utah Territorial Delegate George Q. Cannon (R) was refused his seat due to a conviction for unlawful cohabitation (polygamy), for which he served nearly six months in Utah's federal penitentiary. (1888)
* SC Representative Robert Smalls (R-SC) was charged with accepting a $5,000 bribe in relation to a government printing contract and found guilty. (1877)

Judicial branch

* Edward Henry Durell (R) US Federal Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, was impeached for usurpation of power, drunkenness, corruption, and election-rigging. He resigned before trial. (1879)

William McKinley (R) administration (1897–1901)

Executive branch

* Oregon US Federal District Attorney John Hicklin Hall (R) was appointed by Republican President William McKinley and ordered to investigate the Oregon land fraud scandal. He was accused of failing to prosecute land companies engaging in fraudulent activities, and blackmailing his political opponents. On February 8, 1908, a jury found Hall guilty. (1907)
* Alexander McKenzie (R) Republican National Committeeman, was appointed receiver of the Anvil Creek gold mines in Alaska. He took over production and kept the gold it produced. He was then ordered to return the gold he had collected, an order which he refused. He was found guilty of two counts of contempt of court and sentenced to one year in jail. (1901)

Legislative branch

* Charles Henry Dietrich (R-NE) US Senator, before he took office Dietrich was charged with bribery for accepting money to appoint Jacob Fisher to be a US Postmaster. He was charged with conspiracy to receive a bribe, accepting a bribe and profiting by the leasing of a building to the government. Before the trial could begin, the judge held that Dietrich could not be prosecuted because the alleged bribery occurred after he was elected, but before Dietrich was sworn in as a US Senator. All charges were then dropped. (1901)

Theodore Roosevelt (R) administrations (1901–1909)

Legislative branch

* William A. Clark (D-MT) US Senator, was elected amid allegations of rampant bribery. Though seated, the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections unanimously concluded he was not entitled to his seat and recommended a vote to remove him. He resigned in 1900 rather than be voted out, thus creating a vacancy. In 1901, he was re-elected to fill the vacancy that he had just created by a Montana legislature now filled with winning candidates he had already financially supported. (1900)
* William Miller Jenkins (R) Governor of the Oklahoma Territory was appointed by Republican President William McKinley in May 1901. Jenkins was investigated both for discrepancies in the dispensation of lands from newly opened Indian lands and his appointment of officials concerning the Oklahoma Sanitarium Company which held included $10,000 in stock to Jenkins for contracts with the Oklahoma Territory. When McKinley was assassinated Republican President Theodore Roosevelt assumed office and an investigation by the Interior Department of Jenkins revealed nothing. Nonetheless, in November. Roosevelt removed Jenkins from office for his "indiscreet" and inappropriate role" in the matter. (1901)Everett, Dianna. "Jenkins, William Miller (1856-1941)". ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture''.
Accessed March 4, 2018.
* John Goodnow (R) US Consulate General of Shanghai, China, was appointed by Republican President William McKinley, when accused of corruption, he resigned. (1902)
* John Hipple Mitchell (R-OR) US Senator, was involved with the Oregon land fraud scandal, for which he was indicted and convicted while a sitting U.S. Senator. He died before sentencing. (1905)
* Joseph R. Burton (R-KS) US Senator, was convicted of bribery in 1904 on the charge of illegally receiving compensation for services rendered before a federal department and served five months in prison. (1904)
* Henry B. Cassel (R-PA) US Representative, was convicted of fraud related to the construction of the Pennsylvania State Capitol in 1909.

Judicial branch

* John Hicklin Hall (R) US District Attorney for Oregon, appointed by President McKinley, was convicted of not prosecuting suspects and then blackmailing them during the Oregon land fraud scandal. (1903)

William Howard Taft (R) administration (1909–1913)

Legislative branch

* William Lorimer (R-IL) US Senator, also known as the "blond boss of Chicago", was expelled from the U.S. Senate in 1912 for accepting bribes.
* Ralph Cameron (R-AZ) US Senator, attempted to control access to the Grand Canyon by buying mining rights to adjacent lands. (1912)
* William Forte Willett Jr. (D-NY), US Representative, was indicted on charges of bribery for paying State Democratic Party leaders for a seat on the NY State Supreme Court. He was convicted of conspiracy, corrupt practices and bribery and served 14 months in prison (1912)

Judicial branch

* Pennsylvania U.S. Commerce Court Judge Robert W. Archbald (R) was involved for corrupt alliances with coal mine workers and railroad officials. He was convicted and removed from office. (1912)
* Cornelius Hanford (R) US District Judge for the Western District of Washington, resigned under threat of impeachment for corruption. (1912)

Woodrow Wilson (D) administrations (1913–1921)

Executive branch

* Newport Sex Scandal – Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) initiated an investigation into allegations of "immoral conduct" (homosexuality) at Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island. After the report, which revealed nothing, the investigators themselves were also accused of homosexuality. (1919)

Judicial branch

* John Augustine Marshall (D) Judge of the US District Court of Utah, appointed by Grover Cleveland (D) was accused in a sex scandal involving the cleaning woman of his courtroom. He resigned. (1915)
* Daniel Thew Wright (R) Judge of the US District Court for the District of Columbia was appointed by Theodore Roosevelt (R) and was accused of favoritism and massive corruption. He resigned before impeachment. (1914)

Warren G. Harding (R) administration (1921–1923)

Executive branch

* President Warren G. Harding's (R-OH) administration was marred by scandals stemming from men in his administration who followed him from Ohio, who came to be known as the Ohio Gang. They include;
# Albert Fall, Secretary of the Interior, was bribed by Harry F. Sinclair for control of the Teapot Dome federal oil reserves in Wyoming. He was the first U.S. cabinet member to ever be convicted; he served two years in prison. (1922)
# Edwin C. Denby, Secretary of the Navy, resigned for his part in the Teapot Dome oil reserve scandal.
# Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty resigned on March 28, 1924, because of an investigation about a bootlegging kickback scheme by his chief aide Jess Smith. Found not guilty. (1924)
# Jess Smith, aide to Attorney General Daugherty, destroyed incriminating papers and then committed suicide.
# Charles R. Forbes was appointed by Harding as the first director of the new Bureau of Veterans Affairs. After constructing and modernizing VA hospitals, he was convicted of bribery and corruption and sentenced to two years in jail.
# Charles Cramer, Forbes's general counsel, committed suicide. (1923)
# Thomas W. Miller, Head of the Office of Alien Property, was convicted of fraud by selling valuable German patents seized after World War I for far below market price as well as bribery. Served 18 months.

Legislative branch

* Thomas L. Blanton (D-TX) was censured for inserting obscene material into the congressional record. According to Franklin Wheeler Mondell (R-WY) the letter was said to contain language that was "unspeakable, vile, foul, filthy, profane, blasphemous and obscene". A motion to expel him failed by 8 votes. (1921)
* Truman Handy Newberry (R-MI) US Senator, was convicted of election irregularities, but the case was overturned by the US Supreme Court. However, due to continued opposition and a senate condemnation vote claiming that $3,750 was too much to spend on an election against automaker Henry Ford, he resigned. (1921)

Judicial branch

* Francis Asbury Winslow (R) Judge of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. appointed by Warren G. Harding (R). Following calls for an investigation by Fiorello La Guardia into recent bankruptcy decisions and his choice of court-appointed receivers, Winslow was found to have committed "serious indiscretions". He then resigned. (1929)

Calvin Coolidge (R) administrations (1923–1929)

Executive branch

* US Alien Property Custodian Thomas B. Miller (R) was convicted of conspiring to defraud the US government and served 18 months in prison. (1927)
* Frederick A. Fenning (R), District of Columbia Commissioner appointed by Calvin Coolidge, was investigated and accused of practices illegal and contrary to law. He resigned before trial. (1927)

Legislative branch

* John W. Langley (R-KY) resigned from the US Congress in January 1926, after losing an appeal to set aside his conviction of violating the Volstead Act (Prohibition). He had also been caught trying to bribe a Prohibition officer. He was sentenced to two years after which, his wife ran for Congress in his place and won two full terms.
* William Scott Vare