Harding, Warren G

Harding, Warren G(amaliel)

Warren G. Harding.

(credit: Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.)

(born Nov. 2, 1865, Caledonia, Ohio, U.S.—died Aug. 2, 1923, San Francisco, Calif.) 29th president of the U.S. (1921–23). He became a newspaper publisher in Marion, Ohio, where he was allied with the Republican Party's political machine. He served successively as state senator (1899–1902), lieutenant governor (1903–04), and U.S. senator (1915–21), supporting conservative policies. At the deadlocked 1920 Republican presidential convention, he was chosen as the compromise candidate. Pledging a “return to normalcy” after World War I, he defeated James Cox with more than 60% of the popular vote, the largest margin to that time. On his recommendation, Congress established a budget system for the federal government, passed a high protective tariff, revised wartime taxes, and restricted immigration. His administration convened the Washington Conference (1921–22). His ill-advised cabinet appointments, including Albert Fall as secretary of the interior, led to the Teapot Dome scandal and earned his administration a reputation for corruption. After a vacation in Alaska in mid-June 1923, he arrived in San Francisco reportedly suffering from food poisoning and other ailments; he died there under unclear circumstances. He was succeeded by his vice president, Calvin Coolidge.