The life of a modern left-handed democrat.
Part 18 of My Presidential Review Series
Published on May 4, 2005 By NJforever In History


Moving on, Ulysses S. Grant is reached. Grant was the first Civil War veteran to become president. Oddly enough, he had led troops through all areas of battle, even adopting a policy of killing as many Confederates as possible no matter the cost, yet was extremely squeamish. He was the first president hand-picked by the Radical Republicans. His administration was also the first one with major scandals. Every 50 years since Grant, the administration elected at that time has been rocked by scandals. He was the first and only president elected without a majority of the white vote. Grant served March 4, 1869 to March 3, 1877.

The U.S. and Great Britain agreed to arbitration of the U.S. suit against Britain for damages inflicted by Confederate warships constructed in British ports. Meeting in Geneva in 1871, the arbitration panel, composed of Charles Francis Adams for the U.S. and one person from Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland, and Brazil, awarded America $15.5 million.

Grant continued Radical Reconstruction, which included federal occupation of the South. In 1872 he signed legislation dismantling the Freedmen's Bureau. Empowered by bills referred to as force bills, the Grant administration threatened force against states who denied blacks the vote and against terrorist organizations, notably the Ku Klux Klan. In South Carolina, Grant suspended habeas corpus and authorized mass arrests. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 assured blacks "full and equal enjoyment of the accomodations, advantages, facilities, and privileges of inns, public conveyances on land or water, theaters, and other places of public amusement." It was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1883.

The failure of Jay Cooke and Company in September 1873 led to a financial panic that caused a 5-year depression, the worst up to that time. Other causes included a European depression touched off by the crash of the Vienna stock market, overextension of the railroads, and the slump in the insurance industry in the wake of the Great Chicago Fire and other smaller blazes. About 3 million peole were unemployed and business failures totaled $500 million.

A supporter of hard money, Grant signed into law the Resumption of Specie Act, which directed the Secretary of the Treasury to accumulate gold reserves sufficient to redeem in gold all greenbacks tendered after January 1, 1879. Denounced by soft-money advocates in the West, it nonetheless strenghtened public confidence in U.S. currency.

Grant himself was rigidly incorruptible, but his administration was rocked with major scandals. One of them was Black Friday. Speculators James Fisk and Jay Gould set out to corner the gold market. To ensure that the administration would not interfere, Fisk and Gould employed Abel R. Corbin, the president's brother-in-law, to exercise his influence in the White House. They also arranged to be seen entertaining the president on Fisk's yacht, encouraging rumors that Grant was in their corner. The two then began to buy gold aggressively, driving up the price from $140 to $163 1/2 in four days. Finally realizing he had been tricked, Grant ordered Treasury Secretary Boutwell to immediately sell off $4 million in federal gold. Its price nosedived, ending the crisis, but not before many investors and a few businesses were ruined-on Black Friday, September 24, 1869.

Another major scandal was the Credit Mobilier scandal. News of this scandal broke out during the election in 1872. Ofiicers of the Credit Mobilier holding company had skimmed off huge profits in the federally subsidized Union Pacific Railroad. They sought to head off a Congressional investigation of their practices by selling shares of stock at a deep discount from market value to selected members of Congress. Republican Representative Oakes Ames of Massachusetts served as the company's agent in the scheme. Among those accused of accepting these bribes were House Speaker (later Vice President) Schuyler Colfax of Indiana and Representative (later President) James A. Garfield of Ohio.

Still other scandals included delinquent tax corruption. Treasury Secretary William A. Richardson appointed John D. Sandborn as a special agent in charge of collecting delinquent taxes under an arrangement that allowed Sanborn to retain 50 percent of all revenue collected. A House investigation in 1874 revealed he had collected more than $400,000 in back taxes, half of which he kept. Exposure of this scandal led to the resignation of Secretary Richardson. The Whiskey Ring also occured during Grant's presidency. Hundreds of distillers and federal officials were suspected of diverting millions of dollars in liquor taxes into their own pockets in a conspiracy revealed by Treasury Secretary Benjamin H. Bristow in 1875. Grant at first called for quick action, saying "Let no guilty man escape." But when the scandal reached his own personal secretary, Orville E. Babcock, he interceded on Babcock's behalf. 110 conspirators were convicted. The final major scandal in the Grant administration was the Belknap bribery. In 1876 it was discovered that War Secretary W. W. Belknap had been taking annual kickbacks from traders at Indian posts. Such payments originally went to his wife, but he took them directly after her death. He was acquitted of the impeachment charges only because of his resignation before the Senate trial started.

Grant died on July 23, 1885.

Grant's was one of only three administrations rocked by major scandals, and one of only two whose scandals truly harmed the American people. It is ironic that the great military general, who was the only man who could lead us to victory against Lee, was such an incompetent president. None of the scandals directly involved him, but they happened because of his inability to realize he was being betrayed. Unfortunately, Grant did nothing spectacular to redeem his presidency in any way, so it may be appropriately branded a failure.

Overall Ranking: 39

"The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity. "

Comments (Page 1)
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on May 04, 2005
Grant was a crazyman, when he was commanding general and president too. But I do love crazymen.
on May 04, 2005
btw how do YOU rank presidents? what formular?
on May 04, 2005
I don't see why you ranked him so low. I'd put him maybe eighth, right by Harding.

Seriously though, how could he have been so completely oblivious to what happened in his own administration?
on May 04, 2005
btw how do YOU rank presidents? what formular?


I analyze what he did that both helped and harmed the people, see what was and what wasn't his fault/accomplishment, and compare with the others. I rarely give anyone a concrete ranking beforehand, though. It can be kind of difficult, with the average ones and the ones who did little through no fault of their own, but so far most have agreed I have gotten them relatively right.
on May 04, 2005
I don't see why you ranked him so low. I'd put him maybe eighth, right by Harding.


Of course! How could I have been so blind.

Seriously though, how could he have been so completely oblivious to what happened in his own administration?


He was a very trusting man. He would never dream his friends would betray him. His own trust backfired, but it was at least an admirable trait to have (though definitely too much of it).
on May 04, 2005

Ok, I read it!  I have to go now.  Damn this was brutal,  And on the mark.  I will comment in the morning.

I do have your site now!

Excellant!

on May 04, 2005
Excellant!


I've been biting my tongue, but someone has to do it: excellent

I'm terribly sorry, doc. It's the last time I'll correct you (unless the next mistake is too hideous for me to bear ).
on May 04, 2005
Ok, I read it! I have to go now. Damn this was brutal, And on the mark. I will comment in the morning.


Okay then. I didn't mean to be brutal with him. After all, trust isn't a bad thing to have, his only problem was too much of it.

I do have your site now


Stick it to those Nazi employers of yours!
on May 04, 2005
Reply By: NJforeverPosted: Wednesday, May 04, 2005btw how do YOU rank presidents? what formular?I analyze what he did that both helped and harmed the people, see what was and what wasn't his fault/accomplishment, and compare with the others. I rarely give anyone a concrete ranking beforehand, though. It can be kind of difficult, with the average ones and the ones who did little through no fault of their own, but so far most have agreed I have gotten them relatively right.


thanx for the explaination....
on May 05, 2005

I'm terribly sorry, doc. It's the last time I'll correct you (unless the next mistake is too hideous for me to bear ).

You may continue to correct me.  I warned you my spelling was horrible!

As to the article, you did leave out some of the seemier sides of Grant. Being from the south myself, we do hold his administration (if not his military prowess) in total contempt.  He was the first elected president after the war, and did nothing to stop the rape of the south.

That being said, as I said last night, it is an excellent (ok Fazz?) write up of him.

on May 05, 2005
it is an excellent (ok Fazz?)


on May 05, 2005
As to the article, you did leave out some of the seemier sides of Grant. Being from the south myself, we do hold his administration (if not his military prowess) in total contempt. He was the first elected president after the war, and did nothing to stop the rape of the south.


True, true. He was the only president to willingly carry out Radical Reconstruction, and did some...questionable things (the practical invasion of South Carolina being one of them). I'm sorry I didn't add those; I was a bit pressed for time and wanted to get all the scandals in.

That being said, as I said last night, it is an excellent (ok Fazz?) write up of him.


Thanks. Always nice to hear a compliment.
on May 05, 2005

True, true. He was the only president to willingly carry out Radical Reconstruction, and did some...questionable things (the practical invasion of South Carolina being one of them). I'm sorry I didn't add those; I was a bit pressed for time and wanted to get all the scandals in.

hey!  That was not a complaint!  You did enough to his term to rate a better than very good (Fazz is reading.).  You cant do a whole Bio on each!  I like the fact that each is a snack that we can digest without having to continue them.

But if I said you were the Cats meow, I would:

1: Inflate your ego

2: betray my southern roots by saying a Notherner actually was on par with true gentlemen.

So I have to disagree some!  just dont publish this south of the mason Dixon (which runs north of Maryland BTW)

on May 05, 2005
hey! That was not a complaint! You did enough to his term to rate a better than very good (Fazz is reading.). You cant do a whole Bio on each! I like the fact that each is a snack that we can digest without having to continue them.


Thanks. I try not to say too much. With Roosevelt, though, there is so much to be said I'm not sure if a single bite will suffice.

But if I said you were the Cats meow, I would:
1: Inflate your ego
2: betray my southern roots by saying a Notherner actually was on par with true gentlemen.


I would never say a Northerner was on par with a Southerner...for we are far superior!
on May 05, 2005
I would never say a Northerner was on par with a Southerner...for we are far superior!


{Clears throat} Um, where did I say southerner?

Uh Huh! You imperialist Yankee dog! You betrayed yourself!

As for Roosevelt, I gather you mean King FDR. As he did violate the the Washington protocol, I guess he may need 2 articles, or one very long one. I would go for 2, the depression years and the war years.

If you dont mind one of these bubbas giving you some suggestions.....
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