Teapot Dome Scandal

WARREN G. HARDING (1865–1923), who is considered by most political scientists and historians to have been one of the worst presidents in the history of the United States, was blamed for the Teapot Dome Scandal, which erupted during the rampant corruption and gaiety of the so-called Roaring Twenties. Although the president was not personally involved in the criminal activities that wrecked his administration, Harding's fierce loyalty to his political cronies and his reluctance to believe in their dishonesty led to his being discredited along with them.

On becoming president, Harding brought what became known as the “Ohio Gang” with him to Washington, D.C. He may have never realized the extent of the corruption practiced by these opportunists who saw the capital as a city ripe for exploitation. While Harding's friends saddled him with a number of scandals, the most serious was Teapot Dome, which came to define the Harding presidency. The scandal involved Harding's cabinet, presidential appointees, the oil industry, and even a few innocent bystanders.

The groundwork for the scandal had been laid during the preceding decades with an increased emphasis on conservation during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt and with increased demands for oil during the presidency of William Howard Taft. In 1912, the U.S. Navy began converting its ships from coal to diesel fuel; and in anticipation of the need for increased fuel, Taft decided that government-owned oil reserves or “domes” at Elk Hills and Buena Vista in California should be held in reserve for future naval needs. President Woodrow Wilson further expanded naval oil reserves in 1914 with the addition of a location in Wyoming that came to be known as Teapot Dome because it roughly resembled the shape of a teapot.