Charles R. Forbes

rdf:langString Charles R. Forbes

rdf:langString Charles Forbes

rdf:langString Charles Forbes

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rdf:langString Charles Robert Forbes (February 14, 1878 – April 10, 1952) was a Scottish-American politician and military officer. Appointed the first Director of the Veterans' Bureau by President Warren G. Harding on August 9, 1921, Forbes served until February 28, 1923. Caught for army desertion in 1900, he returned to the military and was a decorated World War I veteran. He first became active in politics in the Pacific Northwest. In 1912, Forbes moved to Hawaii and served as chairman on various federal commissions. While Senator Warren G. Harding was on vacation in Hawaii the two met by chance and became friends. After the 1920 U.S. Presidential election, President Harding appointed Forbes director to the newly created Veterans' Bureau, a powerful position in charge of millions of dollars in government expenditures and supplies. His tenure as the first Veterans' Bureau director was characterized by corruption and scandal. Forbes was considered the "dashing playboy" of Washington and a favorite of President Harding. Having returned to the United States after fleeing to Europe in 1923, he was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Government and sent to federal prison in 1926, where he was a cellmate of Frederick Cook, the person who often claimed to be the first to reach the North Pole. Forbes was released one year and eight months later in 1927. He died in 1952.