
Hemings was the half-sister of Jefferson's late wife Martha, and based partly upon DNA evidence, there is now a scholarly consensus that either a relative of Thomas Jefferson or Thomas Jefferson himself fathered several of Sally Hemings' children.


Alexander Hamilton ( Federalist- New York) Secretary of the Treasury-Hamilton had an affair with Maria Reynolds while both were married to other people (see Hamilton-Reynolds sex scandal).Misunderstandings, breaches of ethics, or cover-ups may or may not result in scandals depending on the amount of publicity generated, and the seriousness of the alleged behavior. Scandal is defined as: “loss of or damage to reputation caused by actual, accused, or apparent violation of morality or propriety.” Scandal is not the same as controversy, which implies two differing points of view, and is also not the same as unpopularity. One of the definitions of sex is "physical activity in which people touch each other's bodies, kiss each other, etc." Thus, instances or accusations of sexism, homophobia, or exhibitionism that do not include or seek that sort of physical activity are not covered by this list. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources. This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. Politicians' sex crimes are not covered in this particular list, regardless of whether there has been a verdict yet. More generally, any perceived inconsistency between personal conduct and policy positions makes a politician's sex life more likely to become publicized.įor these listed people, either the scandal, or the behavior which gave rise to it, occurred while they were occupying their high federal offices, and one or the other date may be used here, even if coverage of the scandal was entirely posthumous. Additionally, outing people because of perceptions that their political positions are anti-gay has become increasingly common since 1989. There is some emphasis on sex scandals since the mid-1970s, because the media was less inclined to cover these matters before then. by resigning, being defeated, or deciding not to run again).

Sometimes, the officials have denied the accusations, have apologized, or have lost their office in consequence of the scandal (e.g. Many sex scandals in American history have involved incumbent United States federal elected politicians, as well as persons appointed with the consent of the United States Senate. ( January 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling.
