For all the rhetoric that has been tossed around on the participation of voters in the wake of Watergate, it would seem that the presidential scandals were something new in the 1970s. In fact, this is inaccurate. There have been major and minor scandals during the administration of many if not most of the presidents. Here is a list of ten of these scandals that rocked the presidency. The following are listed in order from oldest to newest.
1. The marriage of Andrew Jackson
Before Andrew Jackson was president, he married a woman named Rachel Donelson in 1791. He had previously been married and believed she was legally divorced. However, after marrying Jackson, Rachel found that this was not the case. Her first husband accused her of adultery. Jackson would have to wait until 1794 to legally marry Rachel. Although this happened over thirty years earlier, was used against Jackson in the election of 1828. Jackson blamed the untimely death of Rachel, two months before taking office in these personal attacks against him and his wife.
2. Black Friday – 1869
Ulysses S. Grant ‘s administration is plagued by scandals. The scandal first was great speculation in the gold market. Jay Gould and James Fisk tried to corner the market. It raised the price of gold, but Grant was quickly discovered and the Treasury to add gold to the economy. This in turn led to the reduction in gold prices Friday, September 24th, 1869 that affected all who had bought gold.
3. Credit Mobilier
The Credit Mobilier company found that the theft of the Union Pacific Railroad. However, they tried to conceal this fact by selling shares in his company at a deep discount to government officials and members of Congress as Vice President Schuyler Colfax. When this was discovered, he had a reputation of many among them that of Ulysses S. Grant ‘s VP.
4. Whiskey Ring
Another scandal that occurred under President Grant was the Whiskey Ring. In 1875, it was revealed that many government employees were pocketing tax whiskey. Grant called for a swift punishment, but caused further scandal when he moved to protect its staff secretary who had been involved in the case.
5. Star Route Scandal
While it does not mean the president himself, James Garfield. Had to deal with the Star Route Scandal in 1881 during his six months as president before his assassination. This corruption scandal covered in the postal service. Private organizations were driving when postal routes in the west. It would give postal officials a low offer, but when staff presents these offers to Congress calling for higher payments. Obviously, it benefits from this state of affairs. Garfield addressed this head even though many members of his own party benefiting from corruption.
6. Ma, Ma, Where’s My Pa?
Grover Cleveland had to deal with the head in a scandal when he was running for president in 1884. It was revealed that previously had had an affair with a widow named Mary C. Halpin had given birth to a son. He said that Cleveland was the father and called him Oscar Folsom Cleveland. Cleveland agreed to pay support and care to place the child in an orphanage when she was no longer able to raise him. When this issue came to light in the campaign and even became a song “Mama, where is my father?” Gone to the White House, ha, ha, ha! “From Cleveland was honest about everything this matter. This helped rather than hurt and he won the election.
7. Teapot Dome
Warren G. Harding ‘s presidency was beaten by numerous scandals. The Teapot Dome scandal was the most significant. In this sense, Albert Fall, Harding’s Secretary of the Interior, sold the rights to oil reserves in Teapot Dome, Wyoming and elsewhere in exchange for personal benefits and livestock. He was eventually captured and sentenced to prison.
8. Watergate
Watergate has become synonymous with presidential scandal. In 1972, five men were caught breaking into Democratic National Headquarters, located in the Watergate complex business. As the investigation of this and the raid on the office of the psychiatrist of Daniel Ellsberg (Ellsberg published the Pentagon’s secret documents), developed, Richard Nixon and his advisers worked to conceal the crimes. Surely would have been impeached, but resigned on 9 August 1974.
9. Iran-Contra
Several people at the Ronald Reagan administration were involved in the Iran-Contra. Basically, the money had been obtained through arms sales to Iran were given secretly to the Contras in Nicaragua revolutionary. Besides helping the contras, the hope that by selling arms to Iran, the terrorists would be more willing to give up the hostages. This scandal led to large audiences in Congress.
10. Monica Lewinsky Affair
Bill Clinton was involved in a couple of scandals, the most important of his presidency was the Monica Lewinsky affair. Lewinsky was a staff member of the White House that Clinton had an intimate relationship, or as later put it, an “improper physical relationship.” He had previously denied this end, a statement in another case that resulted in a vote to remove him by the House of Representatives in 1998. The Senate voted to remove him from office, but the event does not ruin his presidency as he joined Andrew Johnson as the second president to be impeached.