Presidential Scandals offers a concise single-volume survey of presidential scandals in the United States that looks at the behavior and public image of every president from George Washington to Bill Clinton. It broadly defines scandal as anything that was regarded as scandalous at the time of the president's service or that was uncovered and regarded as scandalous later.
Presidential Scandals is an invaluable synthesis of important information that until now has been widely scattered in a host of reference works. Some of the early scandals in the history of the United States may indeed seem tame in light of President Clinton's transgressions, but Jeffrey Schultz helps us gain perspective on the situation -- to see that every age has encountered presidential scandal and to realize how surely the United States and the world have survived all these seeming crises in the past.
The book is written in an engaging and lively style, and the information it presents amounts to a useful reminder that despite all the pomp and people surrounding the office, U.S. presidents are no more immune to human frailty -- and laws -- than anyone else.
Here's just a sample of included scandals:
-- George Washington -- Shenandoah Valley Land Theft
-- James Monroe -- A.B. Plot
-- Franklin Pierce -- Drunkenness
-- Grover Cleveland -- Fathering Illegitimate Children
-- John E. Kennedy -- Extramarital Affairs
