Teapot Dome

American  

noun

U.S. History.

1. a federal oil reserve in Wyoming, leased to private producer Harry F. Sinclair by Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall in 1922, leading to a major government scandal and the tarnishing of the reputation of President Warren G. Harding's administration (1921–23).

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Example Sentences

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Teapot Dome

The interior department secretary accepted bribes in exchange for awarding oil leases during Warren Harding's presidency in the 1920s, an episode known as the Teapot Dome scandal.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

Cabinet officials took advantage of the opportunity to engage in rampant corruption, resulting in the Teapot Dome scandal after his death.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 25, 2023

Fall’s son-in-law testified that he had delivered $233,000 in World War I Liberty Bonds and $36,000 in cash from Sinclair to Fall after the Teapot Dome lease was concluded.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 9, 2022

Oil magnate Harry Sinclair, who was embroiled in the Teapot Dome bribery scandal, paid just $213.

From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2021

Hoover had already assigned White to investigate one of the first law-enforcement corruption cases to be pursued in the wake of Teapot Dome.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

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