In Reply to: That doesn't make him corrupt. posted by mh on May 23, 2026 at 14:13:51
Grant always thought the best of those around him and did not clearly see their flaws. Unfortunately, during his presidency he surrounded himself with some very unscrupulous men, and history has not been kind to their actions. As you noted, Grant himself was not corrupt but his administration was flawed nonetheless.
Grant was an interesting character. He was a superb military general and that was the foundation of his fame. He had not been a very successful businessman prior to the Civil War and, as noted, he struggled somewhat as president after the war. But his military mind was second to none.
Ron Chernow wrote an excellent biography of Grant (see the link). I recommend it, along with his other biographies of Hamilton and Washington.