logo
episode-header-image
Apr 9
11m 34s

The Speeding President

The Retrospectors
About this episode

The only sitting U.S. president to ever be arrested was Ulysses S. Grant, who was busted THREE TIMES for the same crime: speeding. The first was 9th April, 1886, when he tore through Washington, D.C. in a horse-drawn buggy. General Grant scoffed at the idea of getting arrested and simply rode off: the 1860s version of flipping the bird.


Grant’s love for fast horses wasn’t just a reckless hobby—it was part of his identity. Even at West Point, he was known more for his exceptional riding skills than his military prowess, and his ability to charge fearlessly into battle on horseback had made him an unstoppable force in the Civil War, leading the Union Army to victory. But back in peacetime D.C., his speed-demon tendencies weren’t quite as heroic. The streets were packed with pedestrians, and reckless buggies had already caused serious injuries, so law enforcement was cracking down.


Just three months later, he was caught speeding again. This time, he played it cool, paid the fine, and didn’t cause a scene. But the real kicker came in 1872, when Grant—now a sitting U.S. president—was arrested yet again. This time, the officer in question was William West, a Black Civil War veteran turned policeman. The encounter was almost poetic: a president known for fighting for African American rights being held accountable by a Black officer who had once fought for the Union.


In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly review the veracity of Officer West’s account, given it wasn’t published for many decades; consider why twenty women reportedly turned up to court the next day to testify against the President’s mates; and reveal how the arrests were reported very differently in the South…


Further Reading:

• ‘Has a U.S. President Ever Been Arrested Before? | When Ulysses S. Grant Was Arrested for Speeding’ (Smithsonian Magazine, 2023): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-president-ulysses-s-grant-was-arrested-for-speeding-in-a-horse-drawn-carriage-180981916/

• ‘Was General Grant Arrested for Speeding in Washington, D.C.?’ (U.S. National Park Service)

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/was-general-grant-arrested-for-speeding-in-washington-d-c.htm

• ‘Civil War Hero: Ulysses S. Grant was a Horse Whisperer?! | Told By Macey Hensley | History at Home’ (History, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOj0qUGpksg


#Funny #Black #Crime #1800s


Love the show? Support us! 

Join  🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS🌴to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY… 


… Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content. 

Join now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show ❤️



The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart

Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025.


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Today
Bill Haley's Teenage Anthem
Rock Around The Clock was a moderately successful B-side - until its inclusion in the teen rebellion movie Blackboard Jungle - following which, on 9th July, 1955, Bill Haley and the Comets’ earworm became the first rock n’roll song to hit US No.1. But Haley was no teenage rebel. ... Show More
13m 25s
Yesterday
The Miracle in the Ashes
‘Our Lady of Kazan’, a painting of the Virgin and Child, was discovered in the ashes of a fire in the Russian town of Kazan on 8th July, 1579. The icon quickly became associated with miracles after two blind men were said to have their sight restored by standing in front of it. T ... Show More
11m 35s
Jul 7
America's Child Ambassador
Samantha Smith, an 11 year-old from Maine, New England, left for the USSR on 7th July, 1983, as the personal guest of Soviet Premier Yuri Andropov. Her adventure began with a letter she wrote him, bluntly asking if he intended to start a war or conquer the United States. After th ... Show More
11m 56s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
S3 Ep31: The Lincoln County War Part 1
In November 1876, a 24-year-old wealthy cattleman and banker named John Tunstall, arrived in Lincoln County, New Mexico. Together with lawyer Alexander McSween, John Tunstall set up a rival business to the existing duo who ran things in town - Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan. In ... Show More
36m 33s
Oct 2024
Stay Dangerous | 8
The NYPD loves to show off its diversity, but it often hides how hard and long it fought that diversity. Chenjerai takes us back in time to the real story of how the NYPD got its first Black cop – and how decades later, Black cops went to war with the NYPD’s union to push for civ ... Show More
47m 53s
Nov 2023
Joshua Chamberlain: From Stuttering Child to Civil War Hero to Polyglot Governor of Maine
Before 1862, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain had rarely left his home state of Maine, where he was a trained minister and mild-mannered professor at Bowdoin College. His colleagues were shocked when he volunteered for the Union army, but he was undeterred and later became known as on ... Show More
27 m
Nov 2024
CZM Rewind: Barry Black Pt. 1 & 2
The Fire Will Not Consume Us: Barry Black, Part 1 In 2003, the Supreme Court ruled that the mere act of burning a cross, absent evidence of specific intent to intimidate, is protected by the first amendment. But who was the klansman who got his case all the way to the highest cou ... Show More
1h 37m
Mar 2025
EP115: Assassination to Asylum (feat Chris DiStefano)
Visit Patreon.com/psychopediapod for exclusive content and join our family of little freaks and semen demons!Joining us today is Chris Distefano, NY based stand up comedian. He is the host of Chrissy Chaos and the co-host of History Hyenas. Chris is headlining the world famous Ma ... Show More
1h 26m
Oct 2024
An American Mutiny in WWII
October 9th, 1944. In California, 50 U.S. sailors are on trial for the Navy’s most serious crime, mutiny. It’s a rarely used charge, yet these 50 sailors—all of whom are Black—face the death penalty if convicted. But today, their chances of a fair trial get a little better. Thurg ... Show More
39m 3s
Jun 2024
To Rob a Bank: The Story of Melvin Mingo
Melvin Mingo, a young African American man from Cincinnati, Ohio, was fatally shot by police in 1970, sparking widespread outrage and protests. Mingo, who was unarmed, was accused of robbery but was ultimately found to have been innocent. The case highlighted systemic issues of r ... Show More
26m 5s
Nov 2024
The Iran-Contra Affair
The Iran-Contra affair was a scandal that went right to the heart of Ronald Reagan’s White House and it became known as one of the most controversial political scandals in modern US history.In 1986, Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North was accused of orchestrating the illegal sale of ... Show More
9m 55s
Sep 2024
The Moral Crusade | 5
Officers in early New York didn’t just police the city’s vice economy; they profited from it. But when America’s first professional vice fighter Anthony Comstock strong-arms the NYPD into enforcing his vision of morality, he also transformed how and what we police. From Wondery, ... Show More
39m 58s
Jan 2025
Episode 637: The Bobbed Haired Bandit
In the winter of 1924, the boroughs of New York City were plagued by a series of robberies ostensibly committed by a young couple. This was not the first time a woman had been involved in armed robberies; however, rather than be a reluctant participant in the crimes, it appeared ... Show More
56m 29s