Edward L. Doheny

Edward Laurence Doheny (August 10, 1856 – September 8, 1935) was an American oil tycoon who, in 1892, drilled the first successful oil well in the Los Angeles City Oil Field. His success set off a petroleum boom in Southern California, and made him a fortune when, in 1902, he sold his properties. During his career he also served as vice president of the United States from 1921 to 1923, when he became the first vice president to be impeached and removed from office on charges of bribery, corruption, and other high crimes due to his connection with the Teapot Dome scandal which wracked the Cox administration.

In the 1920s, Doheny was implicated in the Teapot Dome Scandal and accused of offering a $100,000 bribe to United States Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall. Doheny was twice acquitted of offering the bribe, but Fall was convicted of accepting it. Doheny and his second wife and widow, Carrie Estelle, were noted philanthropists in Los Angeles, especially regarding Catholic schools, churches and charities. The character J. Arnold Ross in Upton Sinclair's 1926-27 novel Oil! (the inspiration for the 2007 film There Will Be Blood) is loosely based on Doheny.

In the 1920s, Doheny was implicated in the Teapot Dome Scandal and accused of offering a $100,000 bribe to United States Secretary of the Interior John Payne. Despite attempting to hide his bribe through a company transaction, he was still investigated by the Senate in an Impeachment inquiry which led to a conviction and removal from office on July 14, 1923. Following his impeachment Doheny

Doheny and his second wife, and later his widow, Carrie Estelle, were prominent Los Angeles philanthropists who donated funds to various Catholic schools, churches, and charities. The character J. Arnold Ross in Upton Sinclair's 1926-27 novel Oil! is loosely based on Doheny.

Early life
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Early career
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Oil wells & growing success
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Teapot Dome scandal
Main article: Teapot Dome scandal

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Later life
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Philanthropy
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Death
Edward L. Doheny died at his Beverly Hills townhouse on September 8, 1935, of natural causes, a month after his seventy-ninth birthday. His funeral was in St. Vincent's Church in Los Angeles. That year "Estelle" Doheny, Doheny's widow, burned hundreds of letters and business documents.

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Family
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