Teapot Dome Scandal

Phil Roberts talked about the history of the Teapot Dome Scandal, its connection to Casper, Wyoming, and the impact it had on oil production. The scandal was a bribery incident that took place from 1920 to 1923, during the administration of President Harding. Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome in Wyoming and two other locations in California to private oil companies at low rates without competitive bidding. In 1922 and 1923, the leases became the subject of an investigation. Secretary Fall was later convicted of accepting bribes from the oil companies and became the first Cabinet member to go to prison.

C-SPAN’s Local Content Vehicles (LCVs) made a stop in their “2014 LCV Cities Tour” in Casper, Wyoming, from July 6-10 to feature the history and literary life of the community. Working with the Charter cable local affiliate, they visited literary and historic sites where local historians, authors, and civic leaders were interviewed. close