Secretary of War Belknap resigns over the trader post scandal
- When
- 1876
- Where
- U.S. Capitol; U.S. Senate
- Episodes
- 2
William W. Belknap resigned as U.S. Secretary of War on March 2, 1876, following a Congressional investigation into the Fort Sill trader post scandal. The inquiry revealed that Belknap, his wives, and associates received kickbacks from the tradership. Although he resigned, the House impeached him, leading to a Senate trial that concluded with his acquittal in August 1876.
Episodes
- Resignation and Impeachment
Belknap resigned and was impeached simultaneously on March 2, 1876, following the House investigation into tradership kickbacks.
- Senate Trial and Acquittal
The Senate voted to try Belknap as a private citizen, leading to his acquittal in August 1876.
Background and detail
Background. Prior to 1876, Belknap was viewed as a faithful Secretary of War. However, in February 1876, the Democratic-controlled House launched an investigation after rumors of tradership profits reached Representative Hiester Clymer. The inquiry discovered that Belknap, his wives Carita and Amanda, and associates Marsh and Evans split profits from the Fort Sill tradership, receiving approximately $20,000 in bribes.
Resignation and Impeachment. On March 2, 1876, Belknap tendered his resignation to President Grant. Simultaneously, the House committee unanimously passed resolutions to impeach him, drawing up five articles. This unprecedented event caused considerable commotion in the U.S. The House committee, headed by Clymer, presented the articles to the Senate on March 3, 1876.
Senate Trial and Acquittal. Belknap testified before the Clymer Committee on February 29, 1876. In May 1876, the Senate voted that he could be tried as a private citizen. The trial began on April 5, 1876. Belknap was finally acquitted by the Senate on August 1, 1876, despite the earlier impeachment.
People involved
- William W. Belknap · Secretary of War
- Ulysses S. Grant · President
- Hiester Clymer · Chairman of Committee on Expenditures
- Carita Belknap · Wife
- Amanda Belknap · Wife
- Othniel Charles Marsh · Associate
- Edwards Pierrepont · Attorney General
Sources
- Trader post scandal Wikipedia, revision of 2025-07-11
- William W. Belknap Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-09
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.