Warren G. Harding

Warren G. Harding
Portrait, c. 1920–1923
29th President of the United States
In office March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923
Vice President	Calvin Coolidge
Preceded by	Woodrow Wilson
Succeeded by	Calvin Coolidge
United States Senator from Ohio
In office March 4, 1915 – January 13, 1921
Preceded by	Theodore E. Burton
Succeeded by	Frank B. Willis
28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
In office January 11, 1904 – January 8, 1906
Governor	Myron T. Herrick
Preceded by	Harry L. Gordon
Succeeded by	Andrew L. Harris
Member of the Ohio Senate from the 13th district
In office January 1, 1900 – January 4, 1904
Preceded by	Henry May
Succeeded by	Samuel H. West
Personal details
Born	(1865-11-02)November 2, 1865 Near Blooming Grove, Ohio
Died	August 2, 1923(1923-08-02) (aged 57) San Francisco, California
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Florence Kling Harding

Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States from 1921 until his death in 1923. Before becoming president, he was a senator and the assistant governor of Ohio. Before he was in government, he was an important newspaper manager. He was a Republican.

Presidency

After World War I, he was elected on the promise to return the United States back to normal. He supported limited government in the economy. During his term, he lowered taxes and believed that the economy should not be regulated too much. In 1922, Harding became the first president to have his voice transmitted by radio when he addressed a crowd in Baltimore.

Harding made the mistake of appointing his friends to high political positions. As a result, they corruptly abused their power for their personal gain and several scandals happened during his presidency, including the infamous Teapot Dome scandal, based in Teapot Dome, Wyoming, which involved Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall. Other untrustworthy people included Edward L. Doheny and Harry Ford Sinclair.

Death

He died in office of a heart attack in 1923 in San Francisco while he was on a speaking tour. Vice President Calvin Coolidge then became president after.

Personal life

Harding cheated on his wife with Carrie Phillips, a family friend who supported Germany during World War I. In fact, many people thought that she was a spy.

He also cheated with Nan Britton, who was over 30 years younger, and fathered a child with her, Elizabeth Ann Blaesing. Afterward, she wrote a book, The President's Daughter, telling her story, but most people did not believe her. However, in 2015, DNA testing confirmed that she had told the truth about the baby.

Legacy

When he died, Harding was one of the most popular presidents at the time, but shortly after, the scandals had become public. Historians consider him one of the worst presidents because of all the scandals that happened while he was president, including much corrupt and bribery, though he was not involved personally. However, in recent years, some historians have begun to reassess his legacy for his economic achievements that began the Roaring Twenties.

Other websites

• Harding's White House biography Archived 2009-01-17 at the Wayback Machine