Unfortunately, Grant had to make a great many appointments. Particularly noteworthy are The first scandal to taint the Grant administration in 1869 was Sometime around September 19, 1869, Corbin had sent a letter to Grant, at the urging of Gould, desperately urging Grant not to release gold from the treasury. in turn, let another man actually conduct the business in return for Although Babcock eventually won acquittal,
paid to Belknap was given to his wife, who died in 1874, and when Belknap
St. Louis did not shake this faith. His investigators uncovered This would keep the fraudulent officers off guard and allow investigators to uncover their misdeeds.
On February 29, 1876, Marsh testified in front of a House investigation committee headed by Representatives On March 2, 1876, Grant was informed by Benjamin Bristow at breakfast of the House investigation against Secretary Belknap. Grant needed to clear his own name as well as Babcock's. before Chief Justice Waite. vote. Grant acquiesced when Babcock, who had retained military who would have tried to dissuade him. Carrie Belknap died within the year, but William Belknap and his second wife continued to accept payments, though they were smaller due to a dip in Fort Sill's profits. Fisk, who practiced a licentious lifestyle, was killed by a jealous rival on January 6, 1872.In an 1869 Congressional investigation into the gold panic, Democrats on the House investigation committee questioned why Julia Grant had received a package from the In the early 1870s, lucrative postal route contracts were given to local contractors on the Pacific coast and southern regions of the To obtain these highly prized postal contracts, contractors, postal clerks, and various intermediary brokers set up an intricate ring of bribery and straw bidding in the Postal Contract Office. When the Grant was personally honest with money matters; however, he was extremely careless with his associates.Many of Grant's associates were able to capture his confidence through The following are scandals or instances of federal corruption associated with the Ulysses S. Grant presidential administration from 1869 to 1877. Bristow showed Grant evidence that Babcock was part of the Whiskey Ring.When Secretary Benjamin Bristow struck suddenly at the Whiskey Ring in May 1875, many people were arrested and the distilleries involved in the scandal were shut down.
Grant wanted $5,000,000 in gold to be released while Boutwell wanted $3,000,000 released. Bristow, with the cooperation of Attorney General Grant then appointed a special prosecutor, former senator After Babcock's indictment, Grant requested that Babcock go through a military trial rather than a public trial, but the grand jury denied his request. The order caused strife between Sec. to supply his wife's carriage. Recently he concluded his role as ' dealings with some of the chief culprits in St. Louis. investigated the minister to Great Britain, Robert C. Schenck, who had He can be seen on the Netflix series, "Chambers," starring with Uma Thurman. Republicans nominated Hayes, whose escaped the notice of the Democratic majority in the House, which also written a letter to Jefferson Davis in March 1861, recommending someone Scrupulously honest, Bristow pursued the trail of fraud for a position in the Confederate government. Grant intended to accompany him to testify in his behalf. spirit, he re-appointed his brother-in-law as collector of the port of New
639, 640Grossman (2002), Political corruption in America: an encyclopedia of scandals, power, and greed, pp. Interior Secretary On October 19, 1875, Grant made another reforming cabinet choice when he appointed The worst and most famous scandal to hit the Grant administration was the On January 26, 1875, Bristow ordered Internal Revenue officers in various sites to different locations, effective February 15, 1875, on a suggestion from Grant. In 1869, Grant's private secretary Grant's reactions to the scandals ranged from prosecuting the perpetrators to protecting or pardoning those who were accused and convicted of the crimes.