The Teapot Dome scandal occurred during Warren G. Harding’s presidency and left a lasting stain on his legacy. His Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall leased petroleum reserves in Teapot Dome, Wyoming to private oil companies at bargain rates in exchange for over $400,000.
The investigation dragged on for two years, with no major evidence found. What proved to be Fall’s undoing was evidence of a no-interest loan of $100,000 from one of the oil tycoons who benefitted from the transaction.
This scandal wasn’t uncovered until after Harding’s death but the fact the president surrounded himself with a man like Fall was enough to cast a shadow on his time in office
