October 2026 The consideration of conflicts of interest in government extends back to the founding era, when Alexander Hamilton wrote in the Federalist Papers about the potential for rulers to abuse their power at the expense of the collective good. Prior to WWII, the federal government dealt with financial conflicts of interest in an ad hoc approach, dealing with issues as they arose. In the late 1950s, Congress adopted a general Code of Ethics for Government Service, followed in the 1960s by an executive order under President John F. Kennedy, outlining provisions for government employee behavior. This eventually led to…