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Teapot Dome Scandal Timeline

(1921–1928)

The Teapot Dome Scandal exposed corruption in the Harding administration after federal oil reserves were secretly leased without competitive bidding. Less

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Oil-field transfers and leases

Harding transfers Teapot Dome control

1921

President Warren G. Harding issued an executive order transferring control of the Teapot Dome Oil Field in Natrona County, Wyoming, from the Department of the Navy to the Department of the Interior.

Harding transfers California oil fields

1921

The same 1921 executive order transferred the Elk Hills and Buena Vista Oil Fields in Kern County, California, from the Department of the Navy to the Department of the Interior.

Fall leases Teapot Dome rights

1922

Later in 1922, Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall leased oil production rights at Teapot Dome to Harry F. Sinclair of Mammoth Oil, a subsidiary of Sinclair Oil Corporation.

Fall leases Elk Hills rights

1922

Fall also issued the lease associated with the Elk Hills oil reserves, transferring production rights under the same broader leasing controversy.

Leases proceed without competitive bidding

1922

Both leases were issued without competitive bidding. Although the arrangement later became central to the scandal, noncompetitive leasing was legal under the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920.

Image source: Teapot Dome scandal

Leases proceed without competitive bidding

Payments and investigations

Fall receives additional gifts

1921 - 1923

Fall received other gifts from Doheny and Sinclair totaling about $404,000, equivalent to approximately $7.29 million in 2025.

Fall receives Continental Trading bonds

1921 - 1923

Special prosecutors Atlee Pomerene and Owen J. Roberts traced $90,000 in Liberty bonds from the Sinclair-connected Continental Trading Company, Ltd. of Canada, to Fall.

Fall’s enrichment exceeds his salary

1921 - 1923

The traced payments brought Fall’s financial enrichment during his 2.5 years as Interior Secretary to at least $239,000 above his government salary, equivalent to about $10.72 million in 2025.

Fall receives Doheny loan

Nov 1921

Fall received a no-interest loan of $100,000 from oilman Edward L. Doheny in November 1921, an amount equivalent to about $1.81 million in 2025.

Wyoming operator protests secret lease

Apr 1922

A small-time Wyoming oil operator wrote to his senator, John B. Kendrick, objecting that Sinclair had received a contract for the lands through a secret deal.

Wyoming operator demands fair bidding

Apr 1922

The Wyoming operator’s complaint emphasized that other oil companies had not been given an opportunity to submit competitive bids for the lease.

Evidence emerges after Harding’s death

1923

Evidence proving Fall’s guilt arose only after President Harding died in 1923, shaping the subsequent investigation and public understanding of the scandal.

Coolidge inherits the investigations

1923

Calvin Coolidge assumed the presidency upon Harding’s death and handled the resulting Teapot Dome investigations, helping establish his reputation for honesty and integrity.

Senate launches first investigation

Mar 1923

The United States Senate launched its first investigation into Teapot Dome in March 1923, beginning the congressional scrutiny that exposed the administration’s oil-leasing controversy.

Unanswered question becomes Fall’s wealth

1924

By 1924, the remaining unanswered question in the scandal was how Albert Fall had become rich so quickly and easily.

Legacy and reforms

Revenue Act expands tax oversight

1924

The Revenue Act of 1924 gave the chairman of the United States House Committee on Ways and Means the power to obtain the tax records of any taxpayer.

Coolidge wins the 1924 election

1924

Coolidge’s handling of the investigations contributed to his reputation for honesty and integrity, and he easily won the 1924 United States presidential election.

Image source: 1924 United States presidential election

Coolidge wins the 1924 election

Campaign-finance law is strengthened

1925

The Federal Corrupt Practices Act, which regulated campaign finance, was strengthened in 1925 amid the broader reform response associated with the scandal era.

Image source: Federal Corrupt Practices Act

Campaign-finance law is strengthened

Teapot Dome field enters long idleness

1927 - 1976

Following the scandal and the invalidation of its lease, the Teapot Dome oil field remained idle for 49 years.

McGrain establishes congressional subpoena power

Jan 17, 1927

The 1927 McGrain ruling explicitly established that Congress had the power to compel testimony, strengthening congressional investigative authority.

Image source: McGrain v. Daugherty

McGrain establishes congressional subpoena power

Teapot Dome production resumes

1976

After 49 years of idleness, the Teapot Dome oil field returned to production in 1976.

Teapot Dome earns $569 million

1976 - 2015

By February 2015, Teapot Dome had earned more than $569 million in revenue from approximately 22 million barrels of oil extracted over the preceding 39 years.

Court rulings and convictions

Supreme Court hears McGrain case

1927

The Supreme Court considered McGrain v. Daugherty in the context of resistance to a Senate investigation into failures to prosecute perpetrators of the Teapot Dome Scandal.

Supreme Court rules leases corrupt

1927

In 1927, the Supreme Court ruled that the oil leases had been corruptly obtained.

McGrain ruling upholds contempt conviction

Jan 17, 1927

On January 17, 1927, the Supreme Court upheld a contempt conviction against Mally Daugherty for refusing to cooperate with a Senate committee investigating his brother’s failures to prosecute perpetrators in the scandal.

Court invalidates Elk Hills lease

Feb 1927

The Supreme Court invalidated the Elk Hills lease in February 1927 as part of its determination that the oil leases had been corruptly obtained.

Court invalidates Teapot Dome lease

Oct 1927

The Supreme Court invalidated the Teapot Dome lease in October 1927, undoing the central lease at the heart of the scandal.

Fall is convicted of accepting bribes

1929

In 1929, Albert Fall was found guilty of accepting bribes from Edward L. Doheny.

Image source: Albert B. Fall

Fall is convicted of accepting bribes

Doheny is acquitted of bribery

1930

In 1930, Edward L. Doheny was acquitted of paying bribes to Fall, contrasting with Fall’s conviction for accepting them.

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Key Facts

  1. The scandal centered on naval petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome, Wyoming, and Elk Hills, California.
  2. Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall secretly leased the reserves to private oil companies without competitive bidding.
  3. Fall accepted about $400,000 in bribes and loans from oil executives Harry F. Sinclair and Edward L. Doheny.
  4. Senator Thomas J. Walsh led a Senate investigation that uncovered the secret agreements and payments.
  5. The Supreme Court invalidated the leases in 1927, and Fall became the first former U.S. cabinet official imprisoned for crimes committed in office.

Source

This Teapot Dome Scandal timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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