This just might be the first sex scandal of US presidential proportions, in our latest edition to our scandal series:
Thomas Jefferson’s alleged relationship with Sally Hemmings was the first presidential sex scandal in the United States and prompted a discussion that continues to this day. In 1802 Jefferson was charged with having an affair with his slave, Sally Hemmings, and in fact fathering a child. Jefferson denied the charges and remained as president for another seven years, however the debate about the truth of the matter continued until 1998 when DNA testing proved that Jefferson fathered at least one of Sally Hemming’s children.
Descendents of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings pose for a group photograph at Monticello in 1999