Literary notes about malfeasance (AI summary)
Literature frequently employs "malfeasance" to denote a range of wrongful or improper acts, especially those committed by holders of official power. Authors use the term to critique abuses of authority—from neglect of duty and corruption in public office [1][2] to the broader implications of institutional failure and betrayal of public trust [3][4]. Its usage often underscores themes of accountability and the moral decay underlying political or corporate corruption [5][6], and serves as a critical lens through which historical and contemporary misdeeds are examined [7][8]. Through such multifaceted portrayals, "malfeasance" becomes a potent symbol of the fragility of ethical governance and the ever-present risk of abusing entrusted power.
- Those who held office were also amenable to the courts for official malfeasance.
— from A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 1 by Henry Charles Lea - I never heard of any of them being removed for incompetency, dereliction of duty or malfeasance.
— from The Journal of Negro History, Volume 5, 1920 by Various - What a scandal and what an uproar a malfeasance of justice like that would cause if it were to take place in any of our courts of law!
— from Bunyan Characters (3rd Series) by Alexander Whyte - It acclaimed Benjamin Romaine as its Grand Sachem, after his removal in 1806 from the City Controllership for malfeasance.
— from The Unpopular Review Vol. IJanuary-June 1914 by Various - "In the past there have been presidents who used that high office for low purposes; whose very memory reeks of malfeasance and corruption.
— from First Lensman by E. E. (Edward Elmer) Smith - They could start by asking: Why do shareholders acquiesce with executive malfeasance as long as share prices are rising?
— from Financial Crime and Corruption by Samuel Vaknin - The Duke of York, commander-in-chief of the British forces, compelled to resign for malfeasance in office.
— from The Scrap Book, Volume 1, No. 1March 1906 by Various - Alexander Hamilton and Gouverneur Morris stood for a life service with provision for the President's removal in case of malfeasance.
— from George Washington by William Roscoe Thayer
