It was interesting to realize while reading this, that not much has changed.

I spent much of this book shaking my head at the AUDACITY of Harry Daugherty and his willingness to throw others under the bus for the criminal things he both was a part of or approved of and how little he seemed to care about the outcome for said people. Even the man who died, who Mr. Daugherty was seemingly the closest to received little grief from the man. The fact that he held his office of Attorney General for so long just speaks to all the others that were corrupt right along with him [and how complacent the presidents that allowed it were as well <--I was 100% not surprised about Coolidge. Meh] and I am not surprised that it all finally caught up with him and even though he never served jail time, the court of his betters dealt him a bigger blow than any jail time could have.

I knew little about this time and Mr. Wheeler [whom the Jimmy Stewart character Mr. Smith, from "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" is based on], whom I found to be heartfelt and truly concerned about the laws of the land [even amid his obsession in "nailing" Harry Daugherty]and reading about him and his rise [or lack of it] was really interesting.

Overall, this was a really good, very interesting, engaging [and often infuriating] read. If you love history, this book is for you. Well done.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nathan Masters, and Hachette Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nathan Masters has pulled together a fast paced read that looks back at what was the most notorious political scandal of its day. With plenty of quotes taken directly from congressional testimony, newspaper reports, and memoirs, the book brings the Roaring 20s and the corrupt Harding administration back to life.

You might recall from your high school history class something called the “Teapot Dome” scandal. Most Americans likely have some awareness of that 1920s scandal, if only for its colorful name. But most of us, including me, don’t really know much about it. We’ve also mostly forgotten another scandal unfolding at the same time - the corruption in the Department of Justice that ultimately led to the fall of the US Attorney General, Harry Daugherty. That is the story of Crooked.

The Teapot Dome scandal had to do with the corrupt leasing of Naval petroleum reserves on two plots of Western federal land, one each to Sinclair Oil and Pan American Petroleum. One of the reserves in Wyoming was known as the Teapot Dome, named after the Teapot Rock, a sandstone formation nearby. These leases secretly made then Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall a rich man through payment of bribes.

As the scandal unfolded Senate investigative hearings began (the first of their kind) led by Sen. Thomas Walsh of Montana. The reluctance of Attorney General Harry Daugherty to pursue prosecution played into a growing concern that Daugherty himself may have been involved in the bribery. Daugherty and Fall were part of the “Ohio Gang”, the nickname given to friends and colleagues of President Harding who had been with him on the campaign trail and now served in various roles in his administration.

Two special prosecutors were assigned to investigate Daugherty’s role in Teapot Dome and concluded he had not been aware of the deal nor taken bribes.

Shortly after this, Jess Smith died, allegedly committing suicide. Smith was Daugherty’s “close friend”, fellow Ohio Gang member and his off-the-books personal assistant at the DOJ. This was a turning point in the scandal in the DOJ. Another special committee, this time led by the brand new Senator Burton Wheeler of Montana, ultimately led to Daugherty being relieved of his office by President Coolidge.

This scandal has it all. There are bags of money illegally changing hands enabling smuggling of Prohibition booze; an illegally distributed “movie” featuring footage of a prize fight earning money under the table, with a cut of the funds going to Smith and likely the Attorney General; a possible though unproven gay relationship between the Attorney General and his assistant Jess Smith; the offices of US Senators being broken into and ransacked; and, in the aftermath of the scandal, the rise of a new head of the Bureau of Investigation, John Edgar Hoover.

Author Nathan Masters does an excellent job of unfolding this story and leaves no doubt as to the amount of corruption rampant in Daugherty’s DOJ. But, as this is a true story, not everything is black and white. The hero of this book, Senator Burton Wheeler, went on to be an America First booster and suspected anti-Semite in the run-up to WWII. As to the villain Daugherty, though he was forced out of office, he was indicted on only one of the many illegalities highlighted at the Wheeler hearings, and acquitted even of that. Fall on the other hand, was jailed for one year for accepting bribes. He became the first former cabinet officer ever to receive a prison term due to misconduct while in office.

If you like US politics, are a fan of American history, or perhaps listened to and loved Rachel Maddow’s podcasts Bagman or Ultra, you’ll likely want to read Crooked.

RATING: Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌠

NOTE: I read an advanced review copy of this book courtesy of the author, Hachette Books and NetGalley. The book will be available to the public on March 21, 2023.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Hachette Books for an advanced copy of this history book dealing with the political scandals that took place in the early part of the twentieth century, crimes that will seem familiar to Twitter readers today.

Reading history means that I am not surprised often while reading about events going on currently. Reading history means I am more surprised by the fact that people are well to paraphrase Casablanca "shocked, shocked to find their is corruption going on in government", and probably illegal gambling too. Corruption has always existed. Call it royalty, the upper class, the old boy, the newly rich, the want to be rich, access to money means power, access to power means money, and those who have both power and money, always want more, and not pay taxes. Rules are for others, especially those without the means to buy their justice or pay off the cops and investigators with crony jobs, or just straight cash. As much as America hates to look back, people in government since the colonial governors have usually left office far wealthier than when they arrived, a quick look at Twitter shows this is still happening. Crooked: The Roaring '20s Tale of a Corrupt Attorney General, a Crusading Senator, and the Birth of the American Political Scandal by historian and public television host Nathan Masters, is a look at corruption during the early part of the twentieth century, how it might have helped bring an early end to a president, and give ideas to a young up-and-coming bureaucrat in a newly started government agency.

Harry Daugherty was enjoying a shave and shoeshine when he met Warren Harding, a man that Daugherty thought seemed so respectful of everyone, even the person shining his shoes, even before Harding offered Daugherty a plug of tobacco. Daugherty saw great things for Harding, and began a lifelong friendship and partnership put Harding in the White House and Daugherty installed as Attorney General. Daugherty used his new powers to help his friends, cronies, and people with cash, continuing a tradition of graft he had long had. Things began to go bad when Jess Smith, Daughtery's roommate, long time friend and office mate was found dead, suicide it was ruled, but the gun somehow was lost. The relationship between Harding was cooling slightly with Harding almost sharing why to a few people, none of this sounding good. In a tour of America Harding seemed stressed, tired, and uncomfortable dying on the West Coast suddenly. Rumors began almost overnight, about Daughtery's standing in the new administration, rumors a new Senator form Montana began to investigate, as he was a long time foe of corruption. However Harry Daugherty wasn't going without a fight, and a government worker with a taste for power J. Edgar Hoover, and a new investigative group might be what Daugherty needed to fight back.

A very good look at corruption, how it grows, and how so many people would prefer not to bother fighting it. This book really strikes a cord today with much of what Harry Daugherty is accused of could be said of the last few Attorney Generals, well back to 2017. Overreach, corruption, making their own interpretations of laws, weaponizing government agencies. Someone has been reading history. Unfortunately not enough are, or one would learn the more this is allowed, the lack of accountability only makes corruption worse. The book is very well written balancing history politics, scandals, true crime, and people's reactions equally, never dragging or losing the narrative. There is a lot here to keep track of, from rulings against Railroad Unions, to holistic doctors carrying for presidents, and much about local politics and how not only is all politics local, but that's really where the corruption starts. Masters is a very good writer, and tells a very good, very interesting and timely tale about how easy it is to be tainted by power.

Recommended for readers of history and politics. There is so much that seems from today in here it really was eye opening. I look forward to more by Nathan Masters.

These days, the news will have you believe every new political scandal is the biggest one ever and something like this has never happened before. Well, then come meet disgraced Attorney General Harry Daugherty!

Crooked by Nathan Masters is all about the epic take down of Daugherty by Senator Burton Wheeler in the 1920s. By itself, this is already a great story of a new senator taking on an entrenched political animal with the power of what would become the FBI. Crooked detectives, personal lives shrouded in secrecy, and dirty money; what more can you possibly want?

While the story writes itself in many ways, Masters writes this story...well, masterfully. Pun not intended but let's roll with it. Instead of reciting facts and events, Masters slowly reveals new characters as they come into the focus of the story. What results is a historical true crime narrative that feels like a thriller at times. However, Masters doesn't fall into the trap of turning everyone into a trope. He keeps perspective throughout the story. Burton Wheeler is our ostensible hero, but that does not mean he is without his faults. This is a great book and I loved all of it.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Hachette Books. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 3/23/2023.)

With an upcoming issue of my digital magazine featuring the "Roaring Twenties" I thought this might be an interesting read. I'm so glad I did! I have heard of the Teapot Dome scandal but never knew exactly what it was all about. Not only was this a well-written account of the scandal, but a look at the social-political landscape in America following World War I, the onset of Prohibition and the decade known as the Roaring Twenties. A great resource for my upcoming articles on the 20s.

I had never heard of this case before and was excited to learn about it. Nathan Masters wrote a great nonfiction book about it and it was really well researched. I was glad I got to read this and learn about this. It was a great take on this and am glad I was able to read this.

"Otherwise, he guarded his overnight mission with extreme secrecy. He purchased the train tickets with a borrowed hundred-dollar bill rather than with a government requisition, which might have alerted the Senate paymaster to his plan. He also ripped the identifying tags off his luggage before boarding so that no one would glimpse his suddenly famous name."

Everyone has an opinion about who was the worst president, and Warren Harding usually heads the list. That his administration was corrupt is well known, and his only concern was that the corruption not hurt him politically. Nathan Masters writes a thrilling narrative of just how corrupt top officials were, extending as far as murder, possibly. I'm familiar with Nathan Masters as the host of Lost L.A., a public TV show about Los Angeles history in which he dives into the local archives to bring old Los Angeles to life. It's a great show and Masters tells a lot of terrific stories about Southern California history. He's used those storytelling skills to write an exciting and well researched account of Harding's attorney general, a greedy and ruthless character among a cast of dozens of other hard boiled specimens. The writing and storytelling is reminiscent of Candice Millard, who tells captivating stories in which every detail is backed up by documentary evidence. Great story and outstanding history. Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette for a digital review copy.