Effects Of The Teapot Dome Scandal

The Teapot Dome and Corruption of Albert B. Fall

The Teapot Dome scandal took place at a time when oil had only recently become the coveted mineral it is today. Taking place during a time when conservation efforts were on the rise, the scandal that would plague both the Harding and Coolidge administrations erupted and saw two cabinet members resign, one be sentenced to prison time, and damaged the trust the public had in the government. Teapot Dome centered around three major oil reserves, all of which were in the governments control, and two of which that were in the hands of the navy for national security purposes. Albert B. Fall, the secretary of interior, Edward Doheny, and Harry Sinclair were the major players in this scandal, along with

The corruption took place under Harding’s administration, though he died before he could suffer the windfall or be implicated in any way. The Teapot Dome scandal was the not first major financial scandal in America but was the first that took place outside the narrow confines of Wall Street and the first to implicate men of the President. The scandal featured bribery, coverups, corruption and greed and was the first glimpse of the influence oil interests would come to have in American politics.

The origins of the teapot dome scandal began in the early 1900’s when the navy shifted from coal-burning ship engines to oil early in the twentieth century. This shift prompted an increase in the demand for oil by the navy and the country in general and a battle ensued between conservationists and the navy against oil interests. Conservationists believed “petroleum lands, forest lands, and other resources must be treated on a specialized basis” and

Denby served in the Spanish-American War and was considered unfit to serve in that post. Slattery and Pinchot were against his appointment as well and like fall were worried that “several assistant secretaries were appointed in the Navy and interior Departments. . . who were not likely to be friends from their past records and affiliations.” Though Denby was not an oil prospector or had much to gain from allowing Fall to take over the naval reserves, he was easily manipulated and seemed to be unqualified to serve in Harding’s cabinet. Like several of Harding’s cabinet appointees there was some questions surrounding their qualifications and there was a widespread that belief that “Harding’s cabinet contained too many members connected to oil, Denby would not serve long in the position and would be implicated in the trial of the Teapot