Presidential Scandals - 1776 through early 1900's

last modified Feb 17, 2017 by Kathy Pinna
posted Sep 19, 2016 by Kathy Pinna
We all have our favorite Presidents, based on how we feel about them and their politics. Who historians rate as the "best" and "worst" Presidents often depend on their own political biases as well - liberal or conservative. There is, however, general agreement among historians (the ranking differs a bit). The best: Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, are the top three. Then come Harry S. Truman, Woodrow Wilson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, James K. Polk, Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson. The worst: Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, Warren G. Harding, Millard Fillmore, James Buchanan, Herbert Hoover, William Henry Harrison, George W. Bush, Zachary Taylor, and John Tyler.

And then there are the interesting facts about Presidents: Jimmy Carter was the first President born in a hospital; John Quincy Adams enjoyed skinny-dipping in the Potomac River when he was President; John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were both friends and rivals - and they died on the same day, July 4, 1826; Andrew Jackson had 100 duels and was in a bar fight with a Senator; Millard Fillmore's first wife was his teacher (when he was 19); when President, Franklin Pierce was arrested for running over a woman with his horse - the charges were dropped "for lack of evidence"; William Taft (who was obese) was once stuck in his White House bathtub and had to be helped by his staff; Herbert Hoover's son kept pet alligators in the White House and they were occasionally allowed to run loose!

But do you know about the criminal (or less than moral) Presidential administrations of the past? We like to think that we elect Presidents whose associations are beyond reproach yet that is rarely the case. In fact, some of the most corrupt administrations (remember Iran-Contra?) have been the most popular. Whether it involves their sexual escapades (almost half of Presidents were rumored to have mistresses, including George Washington - two were rumored to be gay or bisexual) or outright crimes, some of the most outrageous Presidential missteps are listed on the following pages.

President Grant (18th)

Major scandals made Grant's one of the most corrupt administrations. First, his sister's husband tried to aid Jay Gould and James Fisk in a scheme to corner the gold market by manipulating Presidential policies. They failed, but they did get far enough along that the gold market collapsed, causing "Black Friday" in 1869.

The Whiskey Ring Scandal involved much of his Cabinet, including his personal secretary (who he protected). It was discovered that government officials and employees were pocketing the taxes collected on the sale of whisky. Grant stopped this but protected those close to him.

The Credit Mobilier Scandal involved the VP, Congress, and many other members of government. The Credit Mobilier Company was stealing from the Union Pacific Railroad. When they were about to be exposed, they tried to cover up the scandal by offering stock to government officials and employees at huge discounts.

George Washington (1st)

Washington, through the Jay Treaty, gave Great Britain favored-nation status. Thomas Jefferson repeatedly accused Washington of treason because of the Treaty. Washington was going to refute the charges in his farewell address but ended up simply warning about the dangers of political parties.

William Taft (27th)

Taft's head of the Dept of the Interior was accused of interfering with an investigation into coal mining in Idaho. Taft had the accuser fired and cleared the accused. The press had a field day and, in the 1912 election, the progressive wing of the Republican party joined the Democrats. Wilson eventually won that election but it was a contentious time!

Abraham Lincoln (16th)

Lincoln's Secretary of War at the beginning of his term was Simon Cameron, once accused of being so corrupt that the only thing he would not steal was a red hot stove. In 1862, Lincoln asked for his resignation and appointed him as Minister to Russia, thereby sending him where he could do no further harm to the war effort!

John Quincy Adams (6th)

Andy Jackson won the popular vote but failed to get enough electoral votes. Backroom deals got Adams the House vote but Jackson wouldn't give up - Adams' presidency was called "illegitimate" throughout his term.

Grover Cleveland (24th)

"Ma, ma, where’s my pa? Off to the White House, ha ha ha!” Having had an affair with a widow, he fathered a son. While the slogan became popular, he was honest about the affair and he was elected - twice.

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