October 1, 2019 (Tuesday)
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th president of the United States from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular U.S. presidents to that point. He was born November 2, 1865, in Blooming Grove, Ohio and died August 2, 1923, while visiting San Francisco, California. He was president sixteen months, March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923.
He married Florence King in 1891.
He grew up in Caledonia, Ohio where his father owned a newspaper. Warren worked there when he was young. He tried studying law for a while but returned to Journalism. He won a seat in the Ohio State legislature and then became lieutenant governor. Harding was an excellent public speaker and began to make his mark within the Republican Party. In 1914 he became a U.S. Senator. His penchant for indecision became well known.
He ran for president in 1920 on the platform, “return to normalcy,” and won the election in a landslide. The people he appointed as cabinet members turned out to be working for their own self interests. There were some good things done, but the administration soon became known for its scandals, notably the “Teapot Dome” scandal, in which oil reserves were illeglly sold to private companies. The Secretary of the Interior was jailed.
Harding was on a trip visiting the territory of Alaska when his health failed. He died in San Francisco. Many people think that the stress of the scandals had some part in his death.
When he died in 1923, Vice President Calvin Coolidge became president.
A few facts about Harding: He wore size 14 shoes. He was the first president to talk on radio. He was the first president elected after passage of the 19th amendment which gave women the right to vote.
Warren Harding – President 1921-1923