Teapot Dome Scandal: The Teapot Rock in 1921 showing
'the spout' on the left
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Teapot Dome Scandal Facts for kids: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
about the Teapot Dome Scandal.
What was the Teapot Dome Scandal? The
Teapot Dome Scandal involved big oil
companies, national security, bribery and
corruption in the Harding administration.
What did the Teapot Dome Scandal center
around?
The Teapot Dome Scandal, or the Elk Hills
Oil Fund Scandal, centered around the
oilfields, designated as Naval Oil Reserves,
in Teapot Dome, Natrona, Wyoming and Elk
Hills of the San Joaquin Valley, California.
Who
was most closely linked to the Teapot Dome
Scandal?
The men most closely linked to the Teapot Dome Scandal
were cabinet member
Albert B. Fall,
Secretary of the Interior and Edwin C. Denby, Secretary
of the Navy. Both were
members of
Harding's Ohio Gang,
who received "loans" (bribes) to lease land in Teapot
Dome and Elk Hills to oil companies owned by Harry F.
Sinclair and Edward L. Doheny.
Teapot Dome Scandal
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on Teapot Dome Scandal
for kids.
Facts
about the Teapot Dome Scandal for kids
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact 1:
Why was called the Teapot Dome Scandal?
It was called the 'Teapot Dome Scandal' after the large
rock formation, that bears a resemblance to a teapot, in
Natrona, Wyoming in the vicinity of the Teapot Dome and
Naval Oil Reserve. A dome is a name for geological
formation (mass of granite) that traps oil underground
between layers of rock, with the upper layer bent upward
to form a dome.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact
2: What were Naval Oil Reserves?
Naval Oil Reserves were federally owned lands in
locations where known oil deposits most likely existed.
Oil was important to the United States Navy as warships
had been recently been converted from coal power to oil
(petrol) power.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact 3:
Naval Oil Reserves were set aside, and could not
be drilled unless there was a national emergency. This land was of
great value and oilmen coveted the opportunity to start drilling for
oil in these areas.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact 4:
One of the Naval Oil Reserves was set aside in
northern Natrona County, Wyoming at the place called Teapot Dome.
Another Naval Oil Reserve had been set aside in the Elk Hills of the
San Joaquin Valley, California.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact 5:
When Republican Warren G. Harding became
President he surrounded himself with a group of old friends that
became known as the Ohio Gang.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact
6: Albert B. Fall: One of these friends was
Albert B. Fall (1861-1944), who President Harding appointed to his
cabinet as Secretary of
the Interior.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact
7: Edwin C. Denby:
Another member of the Ohio Gang
was Edwin C. Denby (1870-1929)
who President Harding appointed to his cabinet as
Secretary of the Navy.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact
8: Albert Fall was able to convince
President Harding and cabinet member Edwin Denby,
Secretary of the Navy, to allow the transfer of the
Naval Oil Reserves from the Navy to the Department of
the Interior.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact
9: In 1921 Albert Fall, the Secretary of
the Interior had gained control of the valuable oil
fields, that had been set aside by the government for
use by the navy, in Teapot Dome, Wyoming and Elk Hill,
California.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact
10: Once the oilfields were under his
control, Albert Fall made secret deals with two close
friends and prominent oilmen, Edward Doheny and Harry
Sinclair. Albert Fall
received personal "loans" (bribes) of over $400,000 to
lease land in Teapot Dome and Elk Hills.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact
11: Harry Sinclair: Harry Sinclair
(1876 - 1956) was a wealthy American industrialist and
the Founder of Sinclair Oil. Albert Fall granted an oil
lease to Sinclair Oil in Teapot Dome Wyoming without
competitive bidding.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact 12:
Edward Doheny: Edward Doheny (1856 - 1935)
was another U.S. oil tycoon, the owner of Pan American Western
Petroleum Company, based in California. Albert B. Fall received a
"gift" of $100,000 in connection with Doheny obtaining a lease of
32,000 acres of government land, the Elk Hills Naval Oil Reserve, in
California.
Continued...
Facts
about the Teapot Dome Scandal for kids
Facts
about the Teapot Dome Scandal for kids
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Facts
about Teapot Dome Scandal for kids
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact 13:
The lucrative oilfield deals did not remain
secret for very long. The sighting of Sinclair Oil trucks hauling
drilling equipment into the Teapot Dome Naval Oil Reserve was
reported to Democratic Wyoming Governor Leslie Miller. The governor
asked the Democrat Wyoming U.S. Senator John B. Kendrick to look
into the matter. As a result, Sen. John B. Kendrick referred the
issue to a special Senate investigating committee.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact 14:
By 1923, rumors of corruption in
Harding's administration and the Ohio Gang had begun to
surface.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact 15:
Then, on August 2, 1923, President
Warren Harding died unexpectedly of a heart attack and
Calvin Coolidge became the new
president.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact 16:
The United States Senate established
a Committee on Public Lands and Surveys to conduct
hearings into the circumstances surrounding the
government oil lease. The investigation began in October
1923
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact 17:
In 1924 the senate inquiry concluded
that the Teapot Dome and Elk Hills oil leases had been
fraudulent and corrupt.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact 18:
Both Albert Fall and Edwin Denby were
forced to resign from office as a result of the Teapot
Dome scandal, however, President Harding was not deemed
to have a role in the illegal dealing.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact 19:
The finding of fraud and corruption
during the investigation led to a number of civil
lawsuits and criminal charges against the men involved
in the Teapot Dome Scandal.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact
20: Albert B. Fall
was fined $100,000 and served a
year in jail. Albert Fall was the first cabinet member in American
history to be imprisoned for crimes committed while in
office.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact
21: Edwin C. Denby was charged not with
fraud but with neglect of duty and resigned from office.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact
22: In 1927 the US Supreme Court declared
the Sinclair oil lease had been corruptly obtained and
ordered it canceled. Harry Sinclair was fined and
sentenced to 6 and a half months at the District of
Columbia jail.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact
23: Edward Doheny was charged with
bribing Albert Fall but, in 1930, he was acquitted.
Teapot Dome Scandal Fact
24: The Teapot Dome Scandal was regarded
as the "greatest and most sensational scandal in the
history of American politics" and remained so until the
Nixon administration and the shocking events of the
Watergate
Scandal.
Facts
about Teapot Dome Scandal for kids
Facts
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Teapot Dome Scandal for
kids
For visitors interested in this subject also refer to the following article:
The Ohio Gang
Teapot Dome Scandal for kids - President Warren Harding Video
The article on the Teapot Dome Scandal provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Warren Harding video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 29th American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1921 to August 2, 1923.
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