Existing comment:
Trust and Betrayal:
One of Ulysses Grant's traits was his trust in friends and acquaintances. This became a weakness when individuals took advantage of him and abused that trust. Once convinced, however, that someone had betrayed him, Grant could, and did, hold a grudge.
Grant did not believe the charges against presidential secretary Orville Babcock concerning the Whiskey Ring Scandal, and willingly risked her reputation to shield Babcock from conviction. Conversely, Grant never forgave political mentor Elihu Washburne for switching his allegiance from Grant to himself as the 1880 Republican candidate for president. Finally, when business partner Ferdinand Ward financially ruined Grant's family in 1884, Grant's long-held belief in the trustworthiness of others was shattered.
"I have made it the rule of my life to trust a man long after other people gave him up; but I don't see how I can ever trust any human being again."
-- Ulysses S. Grant |