From Booklist
Oilman Edward L. Doheny, fellow oil millionaire Harry Sinclair, and Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall were the infamous trio indicted in the Teapot Dome scandal. However, unlike the other two, Doheny never served time in prison. In this account of the scandal and its aftermath and effect on Doheny and his family, Davis, author of Rivers in the Desert: William Mulholland and the Inventing of Los Angeles (1993), provides a sympathetic background of Doheny's life and career. Although Doheny was not involved in the Teapot Dome oil reserve (Sinclair was), he had managed to secure drilling rights to two other naval oil reserves, which became linked to Teapot Dome in the broadening scandal. As a consequence, Doheny's federal contracts were voided and the most bizarre paradox in U.S. legal history resulted: in separate trials, Fall was convicted of taking a $100,000 bribe from Doheny, but Doheny was found not guilty of offering the bribe. Although not an outright historical revision, this book's tone is very close, and its aim is to rehabilitate Doheny's reputation. Frank Caso


From Kirkus Reviews
California historian Davis (Rivers in the Desert: William Mulholland and the Inventing of Los Angeles, 1993) revisits Teapot Dome, the cause clbre that began in the time of Warren Harding, to tell the story of one of the scandal's prominent actors, now largely forgotten. As the Gilded Age turned into the Jazz Age, Edward Doheny, hitherto a feckless prospector, peered into the La Brea tar pits and saw a fortune. He punched the first hole for oil in the city of Los Angeles. Successful, he turned to wildcat drilling in the jungles of Mexico. Gusher followed gusher and the shrewd Doheny became wonderfully rich, the master of a great mansion, a private railroad car, and all the accoutrements of great wealth. It was a world of puissant bigwigs, of powerful cronies, extravagantly mustachioed. It happened one day that the oilman transmitted $100,000 in cash to a cash-poor old crony, Albert Fall, who was then Harding's secretary of the interior. He called it a loan. Just about the same time, the Department of the Interior granted Doheny's company favorable leases in fields dedicated to naval oil reserves. Harry Sinclair, another oilman, obtained similar leases in a field known as Teapot Dome for its odd rock formation. When the deals came to light, a battle between conservationists and exploiters erupted. A Senate investigation turned the transactions into scandal, and civil and criminal trials followed. Fall took the Fifth, but was jailed anyway. Sinclair did time, too. Doheny, though, was found innocent of any criminality. His story and that of his family and friends is told expertly, though with a clearly sympathetic bias, while some questions remain (e.g., why was the ``loan'' made in cash?). Drawing on a new-found trove of Dohenys personal correspondence, and well researched and narrated, this revisionist biography is an interesting addition to the social history of the times. (50 b&w illustrations, not seen) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Margaret Leslie Davis's biography follows Edward L. Doheny from his days as an itinerant prospector in the rugged western territories into the jungles of Mexico, where he built an oil empire that helped inaugurate a new era of petroleum. But it was a tale that ended in tragedy when - at the peak of his power and prestige - Doheny became embroiled in the notorious Teapot Dome scandal and was charged with bribing the U.S. secretary of the interior. As accusations mounted, two special prosecutors vigorously pursued criminal charges of bribery, fraud, and conspiracy. At the height of the prosecution, Doheny's son was murdered by a family confidant, who then took his own life. The case against Doheny ended in an astounding jury decision: the cabinet official accused of taking a bribe from Doheny was found guilty and sent to prison, yet Doheny was fully acquitted. Despite the verdict, the relentless pursuit by special prosecutors and the massive press coverage overshadowed the achievements of a lifetime, and Doheny died in disfavor in 1935. Previously hidden personal correspondence adds to this first complete portrait of the man and answers questions about Doheny that have eluded researchers for almost seventy-five years.

SYNOPSIS

Dark Side of Fortune contains all the elements of a Hollywood thriller. Filling in one of the most important gaps in the history of the American West, Margaret Leslie Davis's riveting biography follows Edward L. Doheny's fascinating story from his days as an itinerant prospector in the dangerous jungles of Mexico, where he built the $100-million oil empire that ushered in the new era of petroleum. But it was a tale that ended in tragedy, when-at the peak of his economic power-Doheny was embroiled in the notorious Teapot Dome scandal and charged with bribing the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

Few captains of industry have matched Doheny's drive to succeed and his far-reaching ambition. Drawn to the West in search of fortune, he failed at prospecting before finding oil in a smelly, tar-befouled lot in Los Angeles in 1892. Certain that the substance had commercial value, he envisioned steamships and locomotives no longer powered by coal, but by oil. After developing massive oil wells in Mexico, Doheny built an international oil empire that made him one of the wealthiest men in the world. But in 1924 the scandal of Teapot Dome engulfed him. As accusations mounted, he hired America's top legal talent for his defense. During the ten-year-long litigation, Doheny's only son was mysteriously murdered by a family confidant. The government's case against Doheny ended in an astounding jury decision: The cabinet official accused of taking a bribe from Doheny was found guilty and sent to prison, yet Doheny was fully acquitted. Despite the verdict, the scandal had overshadowed the achievements of a lifetime, and he died in disgrace in 1935.

Margaret Leslie Davis recreates the legal dramaand adds details of behind-the-scenes strategy gleaned from the personal diaries and archives of Doheny's famed defense attorneys. Previously hidden personal correspondence adds to this first complete portrait of the man and answers questions about Doheny that have eluded historians for almost seventy-five years.

FROM THE CRITICS

John Flesher

[Davis'] objective portrayal lends credibility to a fascinating narrative that will enrich the historical record while appealing to casual readers who enjoy tales of wealth, fame and political intrigue. -- ForeWord Magazine

Kirkus Reviews

California historian Davis (Rivers in the Desert: William Mulholland and the Inventing of Los Angeles, 1993) revisits Teapot Dome, the cause célèbre that began in the time of Warren Harding, to tell the story of one of the scandal's prominent actors, now largely forgotten. As the Gilded Age turned into the Jazz Age, Edward Doheny, hitherto a feckless prospector, peered into the La Brea tar pits and saw a fortune. He punched the first hole for oil in the city of Los Angeles. Successful, he turned to wildcat drilling in the jungles of Mexico. Gusher followed gusher and the shrewd Doheny became wonderfully rich, the master of a great mansion, a private railroad car, and all the accoutrements of great wealth. It was a world of puissant bigwigs, of powerful cronies, extravagantly mustachioed. It happened one day that the oilman transmitted $100,000 in cash to a cash-poor old crony, Albert Fall, who was then Harding's secretary of the interior. He called it a loan. Just about the same time, the Department of the Interior granted Doheny's company favorable leases in fields dedicated to naval oil reserves. Harry Sinclair, another oilman, obtained similar leases in a field known as Teapot Dome for its odd rock formation. When the deals came to light, a battle between conservationists and exploiters erupted. A Senate investigation turned the transactions into scandal, and civil and criminal trials followed. Fall took the Fifth, but was jailed anyway. Sinclair did time, too. Doheny, though, was found innocent of any criminality. His story and that of his family and friends is told expertly, though with a clearly sympathetic bias, while some questions remain (e.g., why was the"loan" made in cash?). Drawing on a new-found trove of Doheny's personal correspondence, and well researched and narrated, this revisionist biography is an interesting addition to the social history of the times. (50 b&w illustrations, not seen)