When government officials were found taking bribes from oil industry bigshots, the scandal changed American politics forever.
The Teapot Dome scandal, which occurred in the 1920s during President Warren G. Harding's administration, was the largest political scandal in American history before Watergate. It involved the secret leasing of federal oil reserves at Teapot Dome, Wyoming, and two other locations to private oil companies without competitive bidding, orchestrated by Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall. Fall received significant personal loans and gifts from the oil companies, leading to his conviction for bribery in 1929, making him the first Cabinet member to be imprisoned for actions taken in office. The scandal led to increased public distrust of the government and spurred reforms in the management of federal lands and resources.