1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910798723103321

Autore

Cooper Edward S. <1939->

Titolo

John McDonald and the Whiskey Ring : from thug to Grant's inner circle / / Edward S. Cooper

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Madison, [Wisconsin] ; ; Teaneck, [New Jersey] : , : Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, , 2017

©2017

ISBN

1-68393-012-6

1-68393-013-4

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (209 pages) : illustrations, portrait

Disciplina

364.1/338092

Soggetti

Swindlers and swindling - Missouri

Internal revenue - Missouri - History - 19th century

Whiskey frauds - Missouri - History - 19th century

Scandals - United States - History - 19th century

Political corruption - United States - History - 19th century

United States Officials and employees Biography

United States Politics and government 1865-1877

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

The story -- Cape Girardeau-Sainte Genevieve-Paducah -- Forts Heiman, Henry, and Donelson -- Court martial and profiteering -- Supervisor of Internal Revenue -- The fraud -- The Utes -- The operation -- Grant's horses -- The unraveling -- Indictments -- Trials -- St. Louis Jail -- Grant saves Babcock -- Missouri State Penitentiary -- Pardons -- Domestic troubles -- Books wars.

Sommario/riassunto

"The most flamboyant, consistently dishonest racketeer was supervisor of Internal Revenue John McDonald, whose organization defrauded the federal government of millions of dollars. When President Grant was asked why he appointed McDonald supervisor of Internal Revenue he responded, 'I was aware that he was not an educated man, but he was a man that had seen a great deal of the world and of people, and I would not call him ignorant exactly, he was illiterate.' McDonald organized and ran the Whiskey Ring but he always credited Grant with the



initiation of the Ring declaring that the president 'actually stood god-father at its christening.' The demise of the Ring rivals anything that the real or fictional Elliot Ness and his 'Untouchables' ever accomplished during the prohibition era in America"--Provided by publisher.