The Whiskey Ring (1875)

The Whiskey Ring was a large tax-evasion and bribery conspiracy (distillers + Treasury agents + local officials) that operated mainly in St. Louis (and other Midwestern cities) during Grant’s presidency. Treasury Secretary Benjamin Bristow uncovered the Ring, which was broken up by raids in May 1875; prosecutions ran through 1875–1876.

Key dates & timeline

• Formation / activity: roughly 1871–1875 (organized evasion of federal whiskey excise taxes).


• Crackdown / discovery announced: Investigations intensified in spring 1875; Bristow’s secret investigations culminated in raids and indictments by May 1875.


• Prosecutions: Indictments and trials took place 1875–1876 (many convictions followed).


• Orville Babcock trial / Grant deposition: Grant’s private secretary Orville E. Babcock was indicted and tried in February 1876; Grant provided a sworn deposition in Babcock’s defense (he nearly testified in person but was persuaded not to). Babcock was acquitted Feb 1876. (Grant’s deposition is usually dated 9 February 1876 in contemporary accounts/diaries.)


• Pardons / aftermath: John McDonald (a ring leader) was convicted but later pardoned by Grant on March 3, 1877 (Grant’s last full day in office). The Treasury recovered millions; Bristow secured many convictions (commonly cited: ~110 convictions and millions recovered).

Ulysses S. Grant - his connections & role

• Appointments and personnel ties: The Ring’s St. Louis operation was led by John McDonald, whom Grant had appointed Revenue Collector for the Missouri district (1869). Orville Babcock was Grant’s private secretary and a close friend; Babcock was alleged to have been a Washington contact/protector for the Ring.


• Administration response: Grant’s Treasury Secretary Benjamin Bristow mounted a secret investigation. Bristow prosecuted many members of the Ring - an action often credited as an important reform step in Grant’s administration.


• Personal intervention: When Babcock was indicted, Grant strongly defended him. At the urging of cabinet members (notably Secretary of State Hamilton Fish), Grant did not appear in court in person but gave a sworn deposition at the White House attesting to Babcock’s innocence; Babcock was acquitted. Historians still debate how much, if anything, Grant personally knew about the Ring’s activities.