The document summarizes various corruption scandals that occurred during Ulysses S. Grant's presidency from 1869 to 1877, known as the "Era of Good Stealings". Speculators Jim Fisk and Jay Gould tried to corner the gold market, while the Secretary of the Treasury allowed private citizens to collect taxes in exchange for large commissions. Several cabinet members and the Attorney General were also found to have accepted bribes and misused government funds and contracts for personal gain. The Whiskey Ring conspiracy involved bribing IRS agents to avoid liquor taxes. The Credit Mobilier scandal revealed that Congress members received stock in the railroad company at below market value.

1. POL 375
Spring 2020

3. 1869-1877

5.  Involved speculators Jim Fisk and Jay Gould
during Grant administration
 Tried to corner gold market; bought large
amounts of gold—causing prices to rise
 Investigation chaired by Rep. James Garfield
 Grant not directly involved; but administration
known as “Era of Good Stealings”

7.  Grant signed law increasing POTUS salary;
Raised pay for Congress by 50%
 Gave Congress $5,000 in bonus pay for 2 years
 Bonuses eventually returned toTreasury
 Pay raises as amendment to appropriations bill

9.  Hires John Sanborn, a
private citizen, to collect
withheld taxes.
 Sanborn gets 50%
commission and splits
money with associates.
 Richardson replaced
and contracts abolished.Secretary of theTreasury
William Richardson

11. INTERIOR SECRETARY
COLUMBUS DELANO
 Interior Department prone to
corruption/mismanagement
.
 Delano gave map-making
contracts to family, though
not qualified for position
 Paid fake Patent Office clerks
 BIA and “Indian Attorneys”

13.  Williams, as head of DOJ, routinely
took bribes.
 Pratt & Boyd underwent
questionable customs house
practices
 Senate Judiciary Cmte. finds
Williams dropped case due to
wife’s payoff.
 Funds also used to pay for carriage
and household expenses.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
GEORGEWILLIAMS

15.  Conspiracy involving govt. agents, politicians,
whiskey distillers, and distributors.
 Bribed IRS and others to keep liquor taxes.
 Secretary ofTreasury exposed Ring
 Public interested by tax money being used by
Republicans to reelect Grant.

17.  Union Pacific Railroad formed fake company,
Credit Mobiler, and gave itself railroad contracts
 Members of Congress bought stock shares in
Credit Mobiler at below-market value
 Subsidies for railroad builders-huge profits in process.
 Investigation led to censures for congressmen
 Illustrates corruption in Gilded Age politics.

21. Charles Keating, Jr.
bought Lincoln
Savings and Loan
in California.
Keating gave money
to politicians and
wanted their help to
avoid federal seizure
of company.
Senators rebuked
by Ethics Cmte.
Keating imprisoned.

23. GAO detailed House practice
letting members write overdraft
checks without penalty.
Members wrote 8,000
bad checks in one year.
Names released publicly
during probe by
House Ethics Committee.