Interior Secretary Albert Fall Receives $100,000 Cash Bribe from Edward Doheny

Edward Doheny, oil magnate and head of Pan American Petroleum and Transport Company, delivered $100,000 in cash to Interior Secretary Albert Fall as a “loan” that was never repaid (equivalent to $1.76 million in 2024). This payment preceded Doheny’s company receiving lucrative leases for 32,000 acres of federal oil reserves at Elk Hills, California. Fall, who had earned $12,000 annually as a senator, suddenly began making expensive improvements to his New Mexico ranch. The cash bribe was part of approximately $404,000 in total bribes Fall received from oil companies (equivalent to $7.12 million in 2024), representing one of the most brazen acts of political corruption in early 20th century America.