Warren G. Harding

Warren G. Harding
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Name	Warren G. Harding
Order	29th
Office	President of the United States
Vicepresident	Calvin Coolidge
Term start	March 4, 1921
Term end	August 2, 1923
Predecessor	Woodrow Wilson
Successor	Calvin Coolidge
Jr/sr1	United States Senator
State1	Ohio
Term start1	March 4, 1915
Term end1	January 13, 1921
Predecessor1	Theodore E. Burton
Successor1	Frank B. Willis
Office2	28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
Governor2	Myron T. Herrick
Term start2	January 11, 1904
Term end2	January 8, 1906
Predecessor2	Harry L. Gordon
Successor2	Andrew L. Harris
Party	Republican
Birth date	2 November 1865
Birth place	Blooming Grove, Ohio
Death date	2 August 1923
Death place	San Francisco, California
Restingplace	Harding Tomb, Marion, Ohio
Spouse	Florence Kling, July 8, 1891
Occupation	Newspaper publisher
Signature alt	Cursive signature in ink

Warren G. Harding was the 29th President of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was a former U.S. Senator from Ohio and a prominent Newspaper publisher. His presidency focused on a "Return to normalcy" after World War I and the Progressive Era, but it became overshadowed by numerous scandals within his administration.

Early life and career

Warren Gamaliel Harding was born in Blooming Grove, Ohio, to George Tryon Harding and Phoebe Elizabeth Harding. He attended Ohio Central College and later moved to Marion, Ohio, where he purchased a struggling newspaper, the Marion Star. Through his work at the Star, Harding became a leading figure in Marion's community and Ohio Republican politics. He married Florence Kling DeWolfe in 1891, and her managerial skills greatly contributed to the newspaper's success. Harding's political career began with his election to the Ohio Senate, and he later served as the Lieutenant Governor of Ohio under Governor Myron T. Herrick.

U.S. Senate and presidential election of 1920

Elected to the United States Senate in 1914, Harding served a relatively undistinguished term, missing many votes and aligning with the Old Guard wing of the Republican Party. As the 1920 presidential election approached, the 1920 Republican National Convention in Chicago became deadlocked between front-runners like Leonard Wood and Frank Orren Lowden. Harding emerged as a compromise candidate, selected by party bosses in the famed "smoke-filled room" at the Blackstone Hotel. Campaigning on a platform of "Return to normalcy", he soundly defeated the Democratic nominee, James M. Cox, and his running mate, Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a landslide victory.

Presidency (1921–1923)

Harding's inauguration in 1921 ushered in a period of conservative policy. He appointed some highly capable individuals to his Cabinet, such as Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes, Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon, and Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover. His administration passed the Fordney–McCumber Tariff, established the Bureau of the Budget, and hosted the Washington Naval Conference. However, he also appointed several friends and political allies, known as the "Ohio Gang", to influential positions, which led to widespread corruption. Harding signed the Sheppard–Towner Act and commuted the sentence of Socialist leader Eugene V. Debs.

Scandals and controversies

After Harding's death, numerous scandals erupted, severely damaging his historical reputation. The most infamous was the Teapot Dome scandal, involving Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall, who accepted bribes for leasing Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome and Elk Hills to private oil companies. Other major controversies included corruption at the Veterans' Bureau under Director Charles R. Forbes and misconduct at the Office of the Alien Property Custodian by Thomas W. Miller. Harding's personal life also attracted scrutiny, including allegations of an extramarital affair with Nan Britton and rumors of Germanophile sentiments during World War I.

Death and legacy

During a cross-country Voyage of Understanding tour in the summer of 1923, Harding fell ill in Seattle and later died in the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. The cause was widely reported as a heart attack, though some historians have speculated about other causes. His body was transported by train to Washington, D.C., for a state funeral before burial at the Harding Tomb in Marion, Ohio. He was succeeded by his Vice President, Calvin Coolidge. For decades, historians consistently ranked Harding as one of the nation's worst presidents due to the scandals, though some modern assessments have noted his support for civil rights and his popular postwar agenda.

Category:Presidents of the United States Category:1865 births Category:1923 deaths