Ulysses S. Grant was arrested for speeding—with a horse-drawn carriage—in Washington, D.C. The Metropolitan Police Department arrested him three times for this, with two arrests occurring in 1866 when Grant was commanding general, and the third reportedly happening in 1872 when he was president. The best-known incident was allegedly in 1872, involving Grant being caught racing his buggy on M Street. The arresting officer was William H. West, who warned Grant first and then arrested him for a second speeding offense the next day. Grant was taken to the police station and put up $20 as collateral but did not appear in court, forfeiting the amount. Some details of the 1872 incident are debated by historians due to lack of contemporaneous records, but the 1866 arrests are well documented. Grant's speeding arrests are often cited as a symbol of rule of law, showing that even a commanding general or president was not above the law.
