Warren G. Harding: The Teapot Dome Scandal

Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States from March 4th, 1921 to 1923. Harding was born November 2, 1865 to parents George and Phoebe Harding. He was the oldest of eight siblings At the age of 14 Harding had begun attending Ohio Central College. After graduating college Harding worked as a teacher and briefly am insurance salesman before breaking into journalism as a career in the town of Marion, Ohio. Harding is the only president to have a background in journalism. Harding married his wife Florence Kling in 1891. Harding turned to a life of politics as a Republican and he served with the state Senate and as Lieutenant Governor. Harding ran for Governor of Ohio but did not win. While serving with the Senate Harding became familiar with Harry M. Daugherty who later was the cause of controversy in his Presidential candidacy. In 1920 Harding decided to run for presidency as a republican and initially was not doing well, however, the republicans could not come to a decision on which candidate to back and settled for Warren G. Harding.

It involved the secret leasing of federal oil reserves by the secretary of the interior, Albert bacon Fall (Britannica). President Harding was not directly involved with the illegal leasing of the oil reserves himself. Fall had leased the oil reserves secretly to people that owned oil companies like Harry Sinclair, Edward Doheny, and Buena Hills. In return for the very inexpensive leases of the oil reserve Fall and members of his family began receiving large amounts of money from ‘unknown’ sources. The leases were fraudulent and illegal according to the supreme court. President Harding did not live long enough to see the full extent of the misbehavior. Fall was in turn convicted of his role in the wrongdoing and was imprisoned. The scandal created a massive distrust in the government and especially the republican