Forgettable Presidents Faced Gilded Corruption

After the Civil War and into the 1890s, several American presidents became known as the “forgettable presidents" because their administrations looked weak beside the corruption and turmoil of the Gilded Age. Andrew Johnson was impeached and survived removal by one Senate vote, while Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency suffered from scandals involving aides and officials who stole public money. Rutherford B. Hayes entered office after the disputed 1876 election, which many critics called fraudulent, and James A. Garfield was assassinated after only four months. Chester A. Arthur then signed civil service reform after Garfield’s murder, but his own party denied him renomination in 1884.

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