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

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

In that case Congress was investigating the Teapot Dome scandal, which involved the corrupt sale of oil rights in Wyoming.

From Salon • Sep. 2, 2023

Doheny, impugned but not impoverished by the Teapot Dome scandal, spent $4 million to build Greystone as a gift to his son and heir, Ned.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2022

With no new revelations, a popular syndicated newspaper column raised the inevitable question: “And is that Teapot Dome oil row a tempest in a teapot?”

From Washington Post • Jan. 9, 2022

Sinclair received an exclusive lease to a reserve in Wyoming, which, because of the shape of a sandstone rock near it, was known as Teapot Dome.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann