Sparks Commentary: Warren G. Harding: Popular in life, unpopular in death

Warren G. Harding is now known as one of the worst presidents in American history. Many today would even consider him the very worst, although he has several painful contenders for this dubious distinction. But, surprisingly, he was quite popular during his lifetime – and during his presidency. The scandals of his administration only surfaced after he died of a heart attack while in office. Why was he popular in life? Where did he come from, and how did he get to the White House? And how did his presidency become such a train wreck, living in posthumous infamy until the present day? These are the questions that this post will attempt to explain. This post will give a brief overview of the career of Warren Gamaliel Harding, a bitter train wreck of a president.

Warren G. Harding

Early life and career, through the repressive policies of President Woodrow Wilson

Warren G. Harding was born in Ohio in November 1865, about six months after the Civil War had ended. Warren G. Harding was the oldest of eight children. As a young man, Harding bought a newspaper called “The Marion Star,” and turned it into a great success. Eventually, Harding set his sights on a career in politics. Harding was a lifelong Republican, and served in the Ohio State Senate for four years. He was even the state’s lieutenant governor for two years. Harding eventually ran for governor of Ohio in 1910, but was defeated at that time. However, he was successfully elected to the United States Senate in 1914. Due to the then-recent passage of the Seventeenth Amendment, this was Ohio’s first direct election for that office. World War One had just begun in Europe. At that time, the president of the United States was a Democrat named Woodrow Wilson. Woodrow Wilson was reluctant to get involved in this distant European conflict. But, over time, it became more difficult to stay out of the truly “Great War.” In 1917, America entered the conflict, and sent its troops to France. Woodrow Wilson had previously been opposed to the war, but soon jailed many of those who shared his prior opposition – an unconstitutional act that lives on in infamy today. This created a domestic environment of repression.

Warren G. Harding

Background on the presidential elections of 1920, particularly among Harding’s opponents

In 1918, the “Great War” ended with an armistice, followed by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. But, in October 1919, Woodrow Wilson suffered a severe stroke that left him incapacitated. This was before the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, so there was no way to have someone take over as Acting President – even if Wilson had consented to do so. Such an option would have been helpful during that time, to say the least. Woodrow Wilson had intended to seek a third term, but his health no longer permitted him to do so. Thus, when the 1920 presidential elections rolled around, the Democrats would (eventually) instead nominate James M. Cox as their presidential candidate. James M. Cox was then the Governor of Ohio, the same state as Warren G. Harding. Cox’s running mate, incidentally, was the future president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. On the Republican side, there were several candidates that were putting their hats in the ring. One of them was Warren Gamaliel Harding.

Warren G. Harding campaigning in 1920

How Warren G. Harding was eventually elected president of the United States in 1920

Warren G. Harding was still a sitting Senator when he ran for president in 1920. Again, Harding represented Ohio, of which his future opponent James M. Cox was the governor. Incidentally, this is one of only six presidential elections where both major candidates had the same home state. On the Republican side, the former president Theodore Roosevelt had recently died in 1919. This left the field open to many other Republican candidates, including Warren G. Harding. Many of them initially seemed far more likely to win than Harding. But conventions were deadlocked, and Harding was eventually nominated on the tenth ballot. Harding remained in Marion, Ohio during most of the campaign, refusing to crisscross the country in campaigning. This is sometimes referred to as a “front-porch campaign,” where people came to him on his “front porch.” Warren G. Harding promised a return to the “normalcy” of the pre-World-War-One era – a slap at Woodrow Wilson’s unconstitutional jailing of those who had opposed the war. Crucially, Harding chose Calvin Coolidge as his own running mate. This would become important later on, when Harding was to die in office. (But I’m getting ahead of myself here.) People were reacting negatively to certain aspects of Wilson’s foreign policy, and against the reforming zeal of the “Progressive Era.” Many Irish Americans and German Americans were also alienated by Wilson’s support of Great Britain during the “Great War.” Thus, for many reasons, Harding would focus most of his attacks on President Woodrow Wilson, rather than on his opponent James M. Cox. Thus, Warren G. Harding won in a landslide – with 60% of the popular vote, and 76% of the electoral vote. Harding had just been elected the 29th President of the United States.

Warren G. Harding

Harding’s presidency and death while in office, and the scandals that emerged when he died

Warren G. Harding released most of the political prisoners who had been arrested for their opposition to World War One – one of the few good acts of his administration. Harding also appointed some respected figures in his Cabinet, with the future president Herbert Hoover serving as his Secretary of Commerce. At the Washington Naval Conference of 1921-1922, many of the world’s major naval powers agreed to a “naval limitations program” that lasted for a decade. At that time, the disarmament was considered a great foreign policy success. Harding also negotiated a formal end to World War One. In 1923, Harding went on a western tour. But, in San Francisco, Harding then died of a heart attack at the age of 57. He had been in office for less than two-and-a-half years. Harding was still quite popular at the time that he died. But again, after his death, there were several scandals that emerged, when his successor Calvin Coolidge had just become president. Among the scandals were some corruption trials for Harding’s interior secretary Albert B. Fall, and Harding’s attorney general Harry Daugherty. Mr. Fall was convicted, but Mr. Daugherty was not. But the biggest scandal of Harding’s administration involved a transfer of land, at a place called “Teapot Dome.” Prior to this, the oil reserves at Teapot Dome had been controlled by the Navy. But Harding approved its instead being transferred to the Department of the Interior for economic development. The aforementioned interior secretary, Albert B. Fall, had taken some bribes from the people who bought the land, to have the government buy it at great prices. Harding’s signature was on the transfer documents, although there is some debate about whether Harding knew of the illegal aspects of this deal. Regardless, the Teapot Dome scandal hurt Warren G. Harding’s posthumous reputation. It also came to light that Harding had engaged in some extramarital affairs while he was in office. Thus, the new president, Calvin Coolidge, refused even to dedicate the Harding Tomb during his presidency. Herbert Hoover would reluctantly do so, when he succeeded Coolidge in the late 1920s.

Warren G. Harding’s funeral procession passing the White House

Conclusion: Harding was popular in life, but unpopular in death

Regardless, Warren G. Harding now lives on in infamy, as one of the worst presidents in American history. Some would even cite him as our absolute worst president. Again, there are many other painful contenders for this dubious distinction. But most would still place Harding among the worst. Some historians have recently risen to Harding’s defense, but many others are still giving the standard negative verdict about Harding. Personally, I agree with the standard verdict myself, and consider Harding a terrible president to boot. Most Americans do not remember Warren G. Harding at all. Those that do remember him usually associate Harding with his train wreck of a presidency. Otherwise, Harding has become little more than a footnote to the story of the 1920s – or the “Roaring Twenties,” as they are often called. Harding has also become little more than a footnote to American history more generally. Again, he was in office for fewer than two and a half years. It is understandable that Harding is usually forgotten, since he isn’t exactly one of our most important presidents. And, given the nature of his presidency, many Americans would rather forget what happened during his administration. But the scandals of Warren G. Harding still left an indelible mark upon history, and live on in bitter infamy.

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