Ulysses S. Grant was not directly busted for personal crimes, but his presidency was marred by several scandals involving corruption by his close associates and administration officials. The major scandals during his administration included:
- The Whiskey Ring scandal (1875), where close friends and officials in Grant's inner circle conspired to evade federal liquor taxes, pocketing large sums. Grant supported his aide implicated in the scandal despite evidence against him.
- The Black Friday gold market scandal (1869), involving Grant’s brother-in-law and financiers attempting to manipulate the gold market.
- The Salary Grab Act and other corrupt acts by officials diminished his administration's reputation.
Although Grant himself was personally honest, he lacked political judgment, surrounded himself with corrupt associates, and was loyal to them, which led to the scandals tainting his presidency.
Additionally, there are reported incidents (though of questionable historicity) of Ulysses S. Grant being arrested for speeding on horseback or in a carriage in Washington, D.C., including one famous claim of an arrest in 1872 while he was president, which would make him the only U.S. president arrested while in office. These arrests were for speeding, a minor offense, and not related to corruption or scandal.
In summary, Grant was not personally "busted" for corruption but was president during scandals caused by others in his administration, and he has a separate minor historical reputation of speeding arrests.
