Warren G . Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding ( November 2 , 1865 – August 2 , 1923 ) was the 29th President of the United States ( 1921 – 1923 ) , a Republican from Ohio who served in the Ohio Senate and then in the United States Senate where he protected alcohol interests and moderately supported women ' s suffrage . He was the first incumbent U . S . senator and ( self - made ) newspaper publisher to be elected U . S . president . Harding was the compromise candidate in the 1920 election , when he promised the nation a return to " normalcy " , in the form of a strong economy , independent of foreign influence . This program was designed to rid Americans of the tragic memories and hardships faced during World War I . Harding and the Republican Party had desired to move away from progressivism that dominated the early 20th century . He defeated Democrat and fellow Ohioan James M . Cox in the largest presidential popular vote landslide ( 60 . 32 % to 34 . 15 % ) since popular vote totals were first recorded . Harding not only put the " best minds " on his cabinet including Herbert Hoover as Secretary of Commerce and Charles Evans Hughes as Secretary of State , but also rewarded his friends and contributors , known as the Ohio Gang , with powerful positions . Cases of corruption , including the notorious Teapot Dome scandal , arose resulting in prison terms for his appointees . He was a keen poker player , who once gambled away on a single hand an entire set of White House china dating back to Benjamin Harrison . Harding did manage to clean up corruption in the Veterans Bureau . Domestically , Harding signed the first federal child welfare program , dealt with striking mining and railroad workers , including supporting an 8 - hour work day , and attended an unemployment rate drop by half . He also set up the Bureau of the Budget to prepare the United States federal budget . Harding advocated an anti - lynching bill to curb violence against African Americans ; it failed to pass . In foreign affairs , Harding spurned the League of Nations , and ( Congress having rejected the Treaty of Versailles ) signed a World War I peace treaty with Germany and Austria separate from the other Allies . Harding promoted a successful world naval program . In August 1923 , Harding suddenly collapsed and died . His administration ' s many scandals have historically earned Harding a low ranking as president , but there has been growing recognition of his fiscal responsibility and endorsement of African - American civil rights . Harding has been viewed as a more modern politician who embraced technology and who was sensitive to the plights of minorities , women , and labor . Early life . Childhood and education . Warren Gamaliel Harding was born November 2 , 1865 , in Blooming Grove , Ohio . His paternal ancestors , mostly ardent Baptists , hailed from Clifford , Pennsylvania and had migrated to Ohio in 1820 . Nicknamed " Winnie " , he was the eldest of eight children born to Dr . George Tryon Harding , Sr . ( 1843 – 1928 ) and Phoebe Elizabeth ( Dickerson ) Harding ( 1843 – 1910 ) . His mother , a devout Methodist , was a midwife who later obtained her medical license . His father , never quite content with his current job or possessions , was forever swapping for something better , and was usually in debt ; he owned a farm , taught at a rural school north of Mount Gilead , Ohio , and also acquired a medical degree and started a small practice . It was rumored in Blooming Grove that one of Harding ' s great - grandmothers might have been African American . Harding ' s great - great grandfather Amos claimed that a thief , who had been caught in the act by the family , started the rumor as an attempted extortion . Eventually , Harding ' s family moved to Caledonia , Ohio , where his father then acquired " The Argus " , a local weekly newspaper . It was at " The Argus " where , from the age of 10 , Harding learned the basics of the journalism business . In 1878 , his brother Charles and sister Persilla died , presumably from typhoid . Harding continued to study the printing and newspaper trade as a college student at Ohio Central College in Iberia . At the same time , he worked at the " Union Register " in Mount Gilead . Harding became an accomplished public speaker in college , and graduated in 1882 at the age of 17 with a Bachelor of Science degree . As a youngster , Harding had become an accomplished cornet player and played in various bands . In 1884 , Harding gained popular recognition in Marion , when his " Citizens ' Cornet Band " won the third place $ 200 prize at the highly competitive Ohio State Band Festival in Findlay . The prize money paid for the band ' s snappy dress uniforms Harding had bought on credit . Journalism career and marriage . Upon graduating , he had stints as a teacher and insurance man , and made a brief attempt at reading the law . He then raised $ 300 , in partnership with others , for the purchase of the failing " Marion Daily Star " , the weakest of the growing city ' s three newspapers ; Harding was complete owner of the " Star " by 1886 . Harding revamped the paper ' s editorial platform to support the Republican Party , and enjoyed a moderate degree of success . He became an ardent supporter of Governor " Fire Alarm Joe " Foraker ; however , his political stance put him at odds with those who controlled local politics in Marion . When Harding moved to unseat the " Marion Independent " as the official daily paper , he met with strong resistance from local figures , such as Amos Hall Kling , one of Marion ' s wealthiest real estate speculators . The editorial battle with the " Independent " became so heated that , at the inevitable mention of Harding ' s questionable bloodline , father and son proceeded , with shotgun in hand , to demand , and get , a retraction . While Harding won the war of words and made the " Marion Daily Star " one of the most popular newspapers in the county , the battle took a toll on his health . In 1889 , at age 24 , he suffered from exhaustion and nervous fatigue . He spent several weeks at the Battle Creek Sanitarium to regain his strength and ultimately made five visits over 14 years . Harding later returned to Marion to continue operating the paper . He spent his days promoting the community on the editorial pages , and his evenings " bloviating " ( a word Harding used frequently ) with his friends over games of poker . In 1893 , the " Star " supplanted the " Independent " as the official paper for Marion ' s governmental notices , after Harding exposed the rival paper for overcharging the city . In 1896 , the " Independent " ceased doing business and Amos Kling wasted no time in financing and launching another rival paper , the " Republican Transcript " , in a failed attempt to derail his son - in - law . Harding also made political speeches on the Chautauqua circuit and expressed admiration for his ideal American patron , Alexander Hamilton . He also is said to have originated the phrase " Founding Fathers " . In 1900 , a political opponent , J . F . McNeal , with the help of Amos Kling , secretly bought up $ 20 , 000 in loans owed by Harding , and immediately called them due in full . Harding just barely secured the funds to pay off the debt to save the " Star " . In the last year of his Presidency , anticipating no resumption of his journalism career following his years in the White House , Harding sold the " Star " to Louis H . Brush and Roy D . Moore for $ 550 , 000 . On July 8 , 1891 , Harding married Florence Kling DeWolfe , the daughter of his nemesis ( and hers as well ) , Amos Hall Kling . Florence Kling DeWolfe was a divorcée , five years Harding ' s senior , and the mother of a young son , Marshall Eugene DeWolfe . " Flossie ' s " first , and compulsory , marriage , to an alcoholic , had been soundly condemned by her father , to the point of her disownment . Her mother remained loyal and provided support nevertheless . She pursued Harding persistently , until he reluctantly proposed . On his part , according to noted biographer Russell , true love was missing , but the prospect of social acceptance , and standing , was the compelling reason for his proposal . Florence ' s father was incensed by his daughter ' s decision to marry Harding , prohibited his wife from attending the wedding ( she sneaked in long enough to see the vows exchanged ) and refused to speak to his daughter or son - in - law for eight years . Her mother continued to provide support on the sly . The couple was complementary , with Harding ' s affable personality balancing his wife ' s no - nonsense approach to life . Florence Harding , exhibiting her father ' s determination and business sense , turned the " Marion Daily Star " into a profitable business in her management of the circulation . She has been credited with helping Harding achieve more than he might have alone ; some have speculated that she later pushed him all the way to the White House . Early in their marriage , Harding bestowed on her the lasting nickname " Duchess " as a nod to the imperious ( and often alienating ) persona she shared with her father . Early political career . Ohio emergence . Harding made his foray into politics running for the Marion County Auditor ' s office , primarily to gain political exposure — his inability to win election was a foregone conclusion in the heavily Democratic county . When his newspaper business attained sufficient economic stability , and even dominance , in Marion , Harding and his wife traveled widely throughout the country , which broadened Harding ' s exposure at political gatherings . Biographer Andrew Sinclair asserts that , like many contemporaries during the days of Ohio Republican Party boss Mark Hanna , Harding was involved with graft and excessive patronage . Harding allegedly arranged free public transit passes for his family in return for favorable coverage in his newspaper . Harding , in 1897 , was said to have facilitated appointment of his sister as a teacher for the blind over supposedly more qualified candidates . Harding also was accused of collusion with other newspapers on the price - fixing of public printing bids and dividing the profits from low - straw biddings . No formal charges were made against Harding based on these accusations . The accomplished publisher also gained a flair for public speaking , and Harding in 1899 was elected to fill the Ohio State Senate seat for the 13th Senatorial District , despite Amos Kling ' s financing of a primary opponent . Shortly after this victory , there was a fortuitous meeting with Ohio Republican party leader and McKinley ally , Harry M . Daugherty , who commented about him , " Gee , what a great looking President he ' d make . " ; Daugherty later assumed the primary role in Harding ' s political career . Harding , as a Republican state senator , was a partisan regular and did favors for political bosses Mark Hanna and Harry M . Daugherty . Harding ' s only notable reform effort in his first term ( Ohio state offices had terms of two years ) was a progressive bill to revamp the municipal code , which had passed the Senate but was halted by a single member ' s procedural call to " reconsider " . As asserted by Sinclair , Harding , against his own conscience , signed a municipal bill that protected Republican party patronage and graft . In his second term , he was chosen Republican Floor Leader . In early 1903 Harding announced his campaign for Governor of Ohio , which was soon thwarted by an intra - party alliance that assured the election of fellow Republican Myron T . Herrick ; Harding was awarded the position of Lieutenant Governor of Ohio , a post he occupied from 1904 to 1906 . In short order , a number of ill - advised decisions by Gov . Herrick damaged his popularity . Harding saw an opening as the 1906 election approached , and announced his candidacy for Governor again . Nevertheless , the party bosses stuck by Herrick , and Harding took his name out of the running for any position on the ticket , which was defeated by the Democrats . While Harding was dwindling politically , there were developments on the personal and business front . In 1907 , Amos Kling married his second wife and soon after began an effort at rapprochement with daughter and son - in - law . As a result , the Klings and the Hardings took a cruise to Europe together . Not long after their return , Harding reorganized his newspaper business into the Harding Publishing Co . , issued stock in the company , took two - thirds for himself and allowed his employees to purchase the rest ; this was the first profit sharing arrangement of its kind in Ohio . Harding sought the 1909 gubernatorial nomination of the GOP , which was deeply divided between progressive and conservative wings of the party , but could not defeat the united Democrats ; he lost the election to incumbent Judson Harmon . Harding took his first election loss in stride , saying " . . . I have lost nothing which I ever had except a few dollars which I can make again , a few pounds of flesh which I can grow again , a few false friends of whom I am well rid , and an ambition which simply fettered my freedom and did not make for happiness . " U . S . Senator . In 1912 , Harding gave the nominating speech for incumbent President William Howard Taft , who would later serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during Harding ' s administration , at the embattled Republican National Convention in Chicago — before he completed his introduction , a fist fight ensued between the Taft supporters and the more progressive Roosevelt faction , but the speech was quite a personal success . By 1914 the Republican Party was beginning to show signs of reunification , with the result that support weakened for Ohio ' s U . S . Senator Theodore Burton , who then decided not to stand for re - election . When prompted , Harding agreed to run for Burton ' s seat against his mentor , " Fire Engine " Joe Foraker , in the Republican primary , and he emerged victorious . Henry Daugherty at this point was on a first name basis with Harding and supported his campaign . Harding ' s general election opponent , Timothy Hogan , fell victim to fervid anti - Catholic sentiment ( which Harding did not voice ) and Harding was elected to the U . S . Senate , becoming Ohio ' s first senator elected by popular vote . The election came on the heels of the outbreak of World War I — an issue Harding downplayed due to the significant German immigrant population in his district . He served in the Senate from 1915 until his inauguration as President in 1921 , making him the first sitting senator to be elected President of the United States ; John F . Kennedy and Barack Obama followed in this pattern . ( James A . Garfield was at the time of his presidential election a non - incumbent senator - elect . ) When Harding joined the U . S . Congress , both houses were controlled by the Democrats , and Woodrow Wilson , a progressive Democrat , was in the White House ; therefore , the legislative agenda was dominated by the opposition . Harding was often considered a fence sitter on most issues , be that labor , big business , women ' s suffrage , or prohibition . He was " the harmonizer " , declaring that a " righteous mean " could always be obtained on an issue . He did vote on legislation to protect the alcohol industry 30 times and was against Philippine independence . He was staunchly opposed to government ownership of business . In startling form , he once spoke in support of a strong executive , at least in wartime , saying about President Wilson , " He is already . . . our partial dictator . Why not make him complete and supreme dictator ? " He joined with 39 other senators in opposition to Wilson ' s proposed League of Nations . Harding took on a personal secretary in the Senate , George B . Christian , Jr . , a former neighbor , who protected him from political patrons and intrusive inquiries , and served until the future president ' s death . Harding introduced 134 bills , but substantively his six - year record as Senator was unremarkable ; his attendance was inconsistent , he spoke minimally on the floor of the Senate and offered no major bill or debate . Harding was not even present for the vote on the women ' s suffrage amendment , though he " paired " his vote with another member , in effect supporting it . He was nevertheless popular and acquired many very close friends in the chamber . This popularity led to his serving as Chairman of the 1916 Republican Convention as well as Keynote Speaker . Presidential election of 1920 . Republican nomination . In 1918 , when Theodore Roosevelt was entertaining plans ( later abandoned ) to reprise his presidency , he considered Harding had strong potential to run and serve as Vice President , and discussed with Harry Daugherty the desirability of having Harding on his ticket . In 1919 , the first candidate to declare for the GOP nomination was General Leonard Wood . The GOP bosses were nevertheless determined to have a dependable listener , and were lukewarm toward the General . Some in the party began to scout for such an alternative , and Harding ' s name arose , despite his reluctance , due to his unique ability to draw vital Ohio votes . Also at the forefront of a throng of candidates for the nomination were Hiram Johnson , Frank Lowden and Herbert Hoover . Harry Daugherty , who became Harding ' s campaign manager , and who was sure none of these candidates could garner a majority , convinced Harding to run after a marathon discussion of six - plus hours . Daugherty ' s campaign style was variously described as pugnacious , devious and no holds barred . For example , shortly before the GOP convention , Daugherty struck a deal with millionaire and political opportunist Jake Hamon , whereby 18 Oklahoma delegates whose votes Hamon had bought for Lowden were committed to Harding as a second choice if Lowden ' s effort faltered . Harding ' s supporters thought of him as the next McKinley . By the time the convention began , a Senate sub - committee had tallied the monies spent by the various candidates , with totals as follows : Wood — $ 1 . 8 million ; Lowden — $ 414 , 000 ; Johnson — $ 194 , 000 ; and Harding — $ 114 , 000 ; the committed delegate count at the opening gavel was : Wood — 124 ; Johnson — 112 ; Lowden — 72 ; Harding — 39 . Still , at the opening , less than one - half of the delegates were committed . No candidate was able to corral a majority after nine ballots . Republican Senators and other leaders , who were divided without a singular political boss , met in Room 404 of the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago and after a nightlong session , tentatively concluded Harding was the best possible compromise candidate . According to Francis Russell , though additional meetings took place , this particular meeting came to be known as the " smoke filled room " . Before Harding received the formal nod , George Harvey summoned him . Harvey told him he was considered the consensus nominee , and asked if he knew , " before God , " whether anything in his life would be an impediment . After mulling the question over for some minutes , Harding replied no , despite his alleged adulterous affairs . The next day , when Harding was nominated on the tenth ballot , Mrs . Harding was so startled , she inadvertently stabbed Harry Daugherty in the side with her hatpins . The local Masons could not resist the opportunity to co - opt Harding ' s new notoriety , and promoted him to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason . General election . In the 1920 election , Harding ran against Democratic Ohio Governor James M . Cox , whose running mate was Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D . Roosevelt . The election was seen in part as a rejection of the " progressive " ideology of the Woodrow Wilson Administration in favor of the " laissez - faire " approach of the William McKinley era . Harding ran on a promise to " Return to Normalcy " , a seldom - used term he popularized , and healing for the nation after World War I . The policy called for an end to the abnormal era of the Great War , along with a call to reflect three trends of the time : a renewed isolationism in reaction to the War , a resurgence of nativism , and a turning away from government activism . On July 28 , 1920 , Harding ' s general election campaign manager , Albert Lasker , unleashed a broad - based advertising campaign that implemented modern advertising techniques ; the focus was more strategy oriented . Lasker ' s approach included newsreels and sound recordings , all in an effort to enhance Harding ' s patriotism and affability . Farmers were sent brochures decrying the alleged abuses of Democratic agriculture policies . African Americans and women were also given literature in an attempt to take away votes from the Democrats . Professional advertisers including Chicagoan Albert Tucker were consulted . Billboard posters , newspapers and magazines were employed in addition to motion pictures . Five thousand speakers were trained by advertiser Harry New and sent abroad to speak for Harding ; 2 , 000 of these speakers were women . Telemarketers were used to make phone conferences with perfected dialogues to promote Harding . Lasker had 8 , 000 photos distributed around the nation every two weeks of Harding and his wife . Harding ' s " front porch campaign " during the late summer and fall of 1920 captured the imagination of the country . Not only was it the first campaign to be heavily covered by the press and to receive widespread newsreel coverage , but it was also the first modern campaign to use the power of Hollywood and Broadway stars , who travelled to Marion for photo opportunities with Harding and his wife . Al Jolson , Lillian Russell , Douglas Fairbanks , and Mary Pickford were among the luminaries to make the pilgrimage to his house in central Ohio . Business icons Thomas Edison , Henry Ford , and Harvey Firestone also lent their cachet to the campaign . From the onset of the campaign until the November election , over 600 , 000 people travelled to Marion to participate . The campaign owed a great deal to Florence Harding , who played a more active role than the wives of previous candidates had . She cultivated the relationship between the campaign and the press . As the business manager of the " Star " , she understood reporters and their industry . She played to their needs by being available to answer questions , pose for pictures , or deliver food from her kitchen to the press office — a bungalow that she had constructed at the rear of their property in Marion . Mrs . Harding even coached her husband on the proper way to wave to newsreel cameras to make the most of coverage . Campaign manager Lasker struck a deal with Harding ' s paramour , Carrie Phillips , and her husband Jim Phillips , whereby the couple agreed to leave the country until after the election . Ostensibly , Mr . Phillips was to investigate the silk trade . The campaign also drew on Harding ' s popularity with women . Considered handsome , Harding photographed well compared to Cox . However , it was mainly Harding ' s Senate support for women ' s suffrage legislation that made him popular in that demographic . Ratification of the 19th Amendment in August 1920 brought huge crowds of women to Marion , Ohio to hear Harding speak . Immigrant groups such such as ethnic Germans and Irish , who made up an important part of the Democratic coalition , also voted for Harding — in reaction to their perceived persecution by the Wilson administration during World War I . The 1920 election was the first in which women could vote nationwide . It was also the first presidential election covered on the radio , thanks to both 8ZZ ( later KDKA in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania ) and 8MK ( later WWJ ) in Detroit , which carried the election returns — as did the educational and amateur radio station 1XE ( later WGI ) at Medford Hillside MA . Harding received 60 % of the national vote , the highest percentage ever recorded up to that time , and 404 electoral vote s . Cox received 34 % of the national vote and 127 electoral votes . Campaigning from a federal prison , Socialist Eugene V . Debs received 3 % of the national vote . The Presidential election results of 1920 , for the first time in U . S . history , were announced live by radio . Harding was the only Republican presidential candidate to ever defeat Democrat Franklin D . Roosevelt on a presidential ticket . At the same time , the Republicans picked up an astounding 63 seats in the House of Representatives . Harding immediately embarked on a vacation that included an inspection tour of facilities in the Panama Canal Zone . African - American lineage contention . During the campaign , Democratic opponents spread rumors that Harding ' s great - great - grandfather was a West Indian black person and that other blacks might be found in his family tree . In an era when the " one - drop rule " would classify a person with any African ancestry as black , and black people in the South had been effectively disfranchised , Harding ' s campaign manager responded , " No family in the state ( of Ohio ) has a clearer , a more honorable record than the Hardings ' , a blue - eyed stock from New England and Pennsylvania , the finest pioneer blood . " Historian and opponent William Estabrook Chancellor publicized the rumors , based on supposed family research , but perhaps reflecting no more than local gossip . The rumors may have been sustained by a statement Harding allegedly made to newspaperman James W . Faulkner on the subject , which he perhaps meant to be dismissive : " How do I know , Jim ? One of my ancestors may have jumped the fence . " However , while there are gaps in the historical record , studies of his family tree have not found evidence of an African - American ancestor . Presidency : 1921 – 1923 . Harding preferred a low - key inauguration , without the customary parade , leaving only the swearing - in ceremony and a brief reception at the White House . In his inaugural speech he declared , " Our most dangerous tendency is to expect too much from the government and at the same time do too little for it . " The Hardings also brought a different style to the running of the White House . Though Mrs . Harding did keep a little red book of those who had offended her , the executive mansion was now once again open to the public , including the annual Easter egg roll . The administration of Warren G . Harding followed the Republican platform approved at the 1920 Republican National Convention , which was held in Chicago . Harding , who had been elected by a landslide , felt the " pulse " of the nation and for the 28 months in office he remained popular both nationally and internationally . Harding ' s administration has been critically viewed due to multiple scandals , while his successes in office were often given credit to his capable cabinet appointments that included future President Herbert Hoover . Author Wayne Lutton asked , " Was Harding really a failure ? " Historian and former White House Counsel John Dean ' s reassessment of Harding stated his accomplishments included income tax and federal spending reductions , economic policies that reduced " stagflation " , a reduction of unemployment by 10 % , and a bold foreign policy that created peace with Germany , Japan , and Central America . Herbert Hoover , while serving in Harding ' s cabinet , was confident the President would serve two terms and return the world to normality . Later , in his own memoirs , he stated that Harding had " neither the experience nor the intellect that the position needed . " One of Harding ' s earlier decisions as President was the appointment of former President William Howard Taft as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court , a position Taft had always coveted , more so than the Presidency . Harding pushed for the establishment of the Bureau of Veterans Affairs ( later organized as the Department of Veterans Affairs ) , the first permanent attempt at answering the needs of those who had served the nation in time of war . In April 1921 , Harding spoke before a special joint session of Congress that he had called . He argued for peacemaking with Germany and Austria , emergency tariffs , new immigration laws , regulation of radio and trans - cable communications , retrenchment in government , tax reduction , repeal of wartime excess profits tax , reduction of railroad rates , promotion of agricultural interests , a national budget system , an enlarged merchant marine , and a department of public welfare . He also called for measures to end lynching , but not wanting to make enemies in his own party and with the Democrats , he did not fight for his program . Generally , there was a lack of strong leadership in the Congress and , unlike his predecessors Roosevelt and Wilson , Harding was not inclined to fill that void . According to biographers , Harding got along better with the press than any other previous President , being a former newspaperman . Reporters admired his frankness , candor , and his confessed limitations . He took the press behind the scenes and showed them the inner circle of the presidency . Harding , in November 1921 , also implemented a policy of taking written questions from reporters during a press conference . Harding ' s relationship with Congress , however , was strained and he did not receive the traditional honeymoon given to new Presidents . Before Harding ' s election , the nation had been adrift ; President Woodrow Wilson had been ill by a debilitating stroke for 18 months and before that Wilson had been in Europe for several months attempting to negotiate a peace settlement after World War I . By contrast , at the March 4 , 1921 Inaugural , Harding looked strong , with grey hair and a commanding physical presence . Wilson ' s successor stressed the importance of the ceremonial aspects of the office of President . This emphasis fulfilled his desire to travel the breadth of the country to officiate at formal functions . Although Harding was committed to putting the " best minds " on his cabinet , he often rewarded those persons who were active and contributed to his campaign by appointing them to high federal department positions . For instance , Wayne Wheeler , leader of the Anti - Saloon League was literally allowed by Harding to dictate who would serve on the Prohibition Commission . Graft and corruption charges permeated Harding ' s Department of Justice ; bootleggers confiscated tens of thousands cases of whiskey through bribery and kickbacks . Harding , out of loyalty , appointed Harry M . Daugherty to U . S . Attorney General because he felt he owed Daugherty for running his 1920 campaign . After the election , many people from the Ohio area moved to Washington , D . C . , made their headquarters in a green house on K Street , and would be eventually known as the " Ohio Gang " . The financial and political scandals caused by these men , in addition to Harding ' s own personal controversies , severely damaged Harding ' s personal reputation and eclipsed his presidential accomplishments . In his most open challenge to Congress , Harding forced a deferral of a budget - busting World War I soldier ' s bonus in an effort to reduce costs . A 2008 study of presidential rankings for " The Times " placed Harding at number 34 and a 2009 C - SPAN survey ranked Harding at 38 . In 2010 , a " Siena College " poll of Presidential scholars placed Harding at 41 . The same poll ranked Harding 26 in the " Ability to Compromise " category . Harding presided over the nation ' s initial consecration of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier . This followed similar commemorations established by Britain , France and Italy . The fallen hero was chosen from a group previously interred at Romagne Military Cemetery in France , and was re - interred at Arlington National Cemetery . On December 23 , 1921 Harding calmed the 1919 – 1920 Bolshevik scare , and released an election opponent , socialist leader Eugene Debs , from prison . This was part of an effort to return the United States to " normalcy " after the Great War . Debs , a forceful World War I antiwar activist , had been convicted under sedition charges brought by the Wilson administration for his opposition to the draft during World War I . Despite many political differences between the two candidates Harding commuted Debs ' sentence to time served ; however , he was not granted an official Presidential pardon . Debs ' failing health was a contributing factor for the release . Harding granted a general amnesty to 23 prisoners , alleged anarchists and socialists , active in the Red Scare . Harding ' s party suffered the loss of 79 seats in the House in the 1922 mid - term elections , leaving them with a razor thin majority . The President determined to fill the void of leadership in the party and attempted to take a more aggressive role in setting the legislative agenda . The Hardings visited their home community of Marion , Ohio , once during the term , when the city celebrated its centennial during the first week of July . Harding arrived on July 3 , gave a speech to the community at the Marion County Fairgrounds on July 4 , and left the following morning for other speaking commitments . Joint Session of Congress 1921 . On April 12 , Harding called a joint session of Congress to address matters that he deemed of national and urgent importance . That speech , considered his best , contained few political platitudes and was enthusiastically received by Congress . On the economic front , Harding urged Congress to create a Bureau of the Budget , cut expenditures , and revise federal tax laws . Harding urged increased protectionist tariffs , lower taxes , and agriculture legislation to help farmers . In the speech , Harding advocated aviation technology for civil and military purposes , development and regulation of radio technology , and passage of a federal anti - lynching law to protect African Americans . Harding advocated , in terms of foreign affairs , a " conference and cooperation " of nations to prevent war — yet flatly stated that the U . S . should not enter the League of Nations . Harding endorsed peace between all former enemy nations from World War I and the funding and liquidation of war debts . Domestic policies and economy . Bureau of the Budget and Veterans Bureau . Harding signed the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 , considered one of his greatest domestic and enduring achievements . Harding got authorization from Congress for the country ' s first formal budgeting process — establishing of the Bureau of the Budget . The law created the presidential budget director , who was directly responsible to the President rather than to the Secretary of Treasury . The law also stipulated that the President must submit a budget annually to the U . S . Congress . All presidents since have had to submit an annual budget to Congress . The General Accounting Office was created to assure oversight in the federal budget expenditures . Harding appointed Charles Dawes , known for being an effective financier , as the first director of the Bureau of the Budget . Dawes reduced government spending by $ 1 . 5 billion his first year as director , a 25 % reduction , along with another 25 % reduction the following year . In effect , the Government budget was nearly cut in half in just two years . Harding believed the federal government should be fiscally managed in a way similar to private sector businesses . He had campaigned on the slogan , " Less government in business and more business in government . " " Harding was true to his word , carrying on budget cuts that had begun under a debilitated Woodrow Wilson . Federal spending declined from $ 6 . 3 billion in 1920 to $ 5 billion in 1921 and $ 3 . 3 billion in 1922 . Tax rates , meanwhile , were slashed — for every income group . And over the course of the 1920s , the national debt was reduced by one third . " On August 9 , 1921 , Harding signed legislation known as the " Sweet Bill " , which established the Veterans Bureau as a new agency . After World War I , 300 , 000 wounded veterans were in need of hospitalization , medical care , and job training . To handle the needs of these veterans , the new Veterans Bureau incorporated the War Risk Insurance Bureau , the Brig . Gen . Charles E . Sawyer ' s Federal Hospitalization Bureau , along with three other bureaus that dealt with veteran affairs . Harding regrettably appointed Colonel Charles R . Forbes , albeit a decorated war veteran , as the Veteran Bureau ' s first director ( see scandal below ) , a position that reported directly to the President . The Veterans Bureau later was incorporated into the Veterans Administration and ultimately the Department of Veterans Affairs . Postwar recession and recovery . On March 4 , Harding assumed office while the nation was in the midst of a postwar economic decline , known as the Depression of 1920 – 21 . By summer of his first year in office , an economic recovery began . Harding convened the Conference of Unemployment in 1921 , headed by Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover , that proactively advocated stimulating the economy with local public work projects and encouraged businesses to apply shared work programs . Harding ' s Treasury Secretary , Andrew Mellon , ordered a study that claimed to demonstrate that as income tax rates were increased , money was driven underground or abroad . Mellon concluded that lower rates would increase tax revenues . Based on this advice , Harding cut taxes , starting in 1922 . The top marginal rate was reduced annually in four stages from 73 % in 1921 to 25 % in 1925 . Taxes were cut for lower incomes starting in 1923 . Revenues to the treasury increased substantially . Unemployment also continued to fall . Libertarian historian Thomas Woods contends that the tax cuts ended the Depression of 1920 – 1921 and were responsible for creating a decade - long expansion . Historians Schweikart and Allen attribute these changes to the tax cuts . Schweikart and Allen also argue that Harding ' s tax and economic policies in part " . . . produced the most vibrant eight year burst of manufacturing and innovation in the nation ' s history . " The combined declines in unemployment and inflation ( later known as the Misery Index ) were among the sharpest in U . S . history . Wages , profits , and productivity all made substantial gains during the 1920s . Daniel Kuehn attributes the improvement to the earlier monetary policy of the Federal Reserve , and notes that the changes in marginal tax rates were accompanied by an expansion in the tax base that could account for the increase in revenue . However : Robert Gordon , a Keynesian , admits , " government policy to moderate the depression and speed recovery was minimal . The Federal Reserve authorities were largely passive . . . . Despite the absence of a stimulative government policy , however , recovery was not long delayed . " Kenneth Weiher , an economic historian , notes , " despite the severity of the contraction , the Fed did not move to use its powers to turn the money supply around and fight the contraction . " He then briskly concedes that " the economy rebounded quickly from the 1920 – 1921 depression and entered a period of quite vigorous growth . " However , Paul Krugman demonstrates that the monetary base expanded significantly from 1922 to 1925 , and that this expansion was accompanied by a reduction in commercial paper rates . Allan Meltzer agrees that the rising real money stock motivated wealth owners to invest . Recovery did not last long . Another economic contraction began near the end of Harding ' s presidency in 1923 , while tax cuts were still underway . A third contraction followed in 1927 during the next presidential term . Farm acts and Radio Conferences . In 1921 and 1922 , Harding signed a series of bills regulating agriculture . The legislation emanated from President Woodrow Wilson ' s 1919 Federal Trade Commission report , which investigated and discovered " manipulations , controls , trusts , combinations , or restraints out of harmony with the law or the public interest " in the meat packing industry . The first law was the Packers and Stockyards Act , prohibiting packers from engaging in unfair and deceptive practices . Two amendments were made to the Farm Loan Act of 1916 that President Wilson had signed into law , which had expanded the maximum size of rural farm loans . The Emergency Agriculture Credit Act authorized new loans to farmers to help them sell and market livestock . The Capper – Volstead Act , signed by Harding on February 18 , 1922 , protected farm cooperatives from anti - trust legislation . The Future Trading Act was also enacted , regulating " puts and calls " , " bids " , and " offers " on futures contracting . Later , on May 15 , 1922 , the Supreme Court ruled this legislation unconstitutional . On February 27 , 1922 , Harding implemented the first of a series of Radio Conferences headed by Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover . The last Radio Act of 1912 was considered " inadequate " and " chaotic " ; change was necessary to help the fledgling radio industry . At the first meeting , 30 representatives — including amateurs , governmental agencies , and the radio industry made " cooperative efforts " to ensure the public interest in broadcasting , who would broadcast , and for what purpose , and to curb direct advertising . Also discussed was how wattage power used by broadcasters would be distributed depending on the radio station ' s conditional use and location . A second radio conference was called in 1923 , and this time Secretary Hoover successful obtained radio regulation power without legislation . Hoover himself , in January 1923 , told the press there was an , " . . . urgent need for radio regulation . " Large radio stations such as Westinghouse advocated that only 25 larger radio stations in large metropolitan area s be allowed to broadcast , while smaller stations would be given limited power . At the end of the meeting , the industrialists agreed to give Hoover the power to , " . . . regulate hours and wave lengths of operation of stations when such action is necessary to prevent interference detrimental to the public good . " Harding became the first president to have a radio in his office , when on February 8 , 1922 , he had a radio set installed in the White House so he could listen to news and music as his schedule permitted . On June 14 , Harding was also the first president that the American public heard on the new mass medium . He spoke on radio at a dedication site in honor of Francis Scott Key , who wrote the words to the " Star Spangled Banner " . Revenue Act and Highway Act of 1921 . On November 22 , 1921 , Harding signed the Revenue Act of 1921 , which greatly reduced taxes for the wealthiest Americans . Protests from Republican farmers caused the deductions to be less than Secretary of Treasury Andrew Mellon desired . The lengthy 96 - page Act reduced the corporate tax from 65 % to 50 % and provided for ultimate elimination of the excess - profits tax during World War I . The 1920s were a time of modernization for America — with the advent of movie , flappers , and automobiles . To improve and expand the nation ' s highway system , Harding signed the Federal Highway Act of 1921 . From 1921 to 1923 , the federal government spent $ 162 million on America ' s highway system , infusing the U . S . economy with a large amount of capital . In 1922 , Harding proclaimed that America was in the age of the " motor car " . He stated that the automobile , " reflects our standard of living and gauges the speed of our present - day life . " Fordney – McCumber Tariff . On September 21 , 1922 , Harding enthusiastically signed the Fordney – McCumber Tariff Act . The protectionist legislation was sponsored by Representative Joseph W . Fordney and Senator Porter J . McCumber . It increased the tariff rates contained in the previous Underwood - Simmons Tariff Act of 1913 , to the highest level in the nation ' s history . Harding became concerned when the agriculture business suffered economic hardship from the high tariffs . Previously , on May 21 , 1921 Harding had signed emergency legislation that put tariffs on select foreign inputs . By 1922 , Harding began to realize that the long - term effects of tariffs could be detrimental to national economy , despite the short - term benefits . Harding ' s successors , President Calvin Coolidge and President Herbert Hoover , also advocated tariff legislation . The tariffs established in the 1920s have historically been viewed as a contributing factor to causing the Wall Street Crash of 1929 . Foreign policies . Harding was very specific in commenting on the appointment of Secretary of State Charles E . Hughes , that the secretary would be the sole spokesman for the State Department ( as opposed to the Wilson administration ) . The U . S . Senate had refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles in both 1919 and 1920 because it required the U . S . to endorse the League of Nations . Hughes worked behind the scenes to formally make peace with former enemies Austria and Germany . This was known as the Knox – Porter Resolution ; its peace treaties were signed with both countries , passed by Congress on July 1 , and signed by Harding on July 2 , 1921 , officially ending World War I for the U . S . Washington arms conference and treaties 1921 – 1922 . Harding spearheaded , with the urging of the Senate , a monumental global conference , held in Washington , D . C . , to limit the armaments of world powers , including the U . S . , Japan , Great Britain , France , Italy , China , Belgium , Netherlands and Portugal . Harding ' s Secretary of State , Charles E . Hughes , assumed a primary role in the conference and made the pivotal proposal — the U . S would reduce its number of warships by 30 if Great Britain decommissioned 19 , and Japan 17 ships . Starting on November 6 , 1921 and ending February 6 , 1922 , world leaders met to control a naval arms race and to bring stability to East Asia . The conference enabled the great powers to potentially limit their large naval deployment and avoid conflict in the Pacific . The delegation of nations also worked out security issues and promoted cooperation in the Far East . The conference produced six treaties and twelve resolutions among the participating nations , which ranged from limiting the size or " tonnage " of naval ships to custom tariffs . The treaties , which easily passed the Senate , also included agreements regulating submarines , dominions in the Pacific , and dealings with China . The treaties only remained in effect until the mid - 1930s , however , and ultimately failed . Japan eventually invaded Manchuria and the arms limitations no longer had any effect . The building of " monster warships " resumed and the U . S . and Great Britain were unable to quickly rearm themselves to defend an international order and stop Japan from remilitarizing . Harding , in an effort to improve U . S . relations with Mexico , Latin America , and the Caribbean Islands implemented a program of military disengagement . On April 20 , 1921 , the Thomson – Urrutia Treaty with Colombia was ratified by the Senate and signed by Harding ; that awarded $ 25 , 000 , 000 as indemnity payment for land used to make the Panama Canal . Harding stunned the capital when he sent to the Senate a message supporting the participation of the U . S . in the proposed Permanent Court of International Justice . This was not favorably received by Harding ' s colleagues ; a resolution was nevertheless drafted , in deference to the President , and then promptly buried in the Foreign Affairs Committee . Civil rights , labor disputes and strikes . Blair Mountain miner war . On May 12 , 1921 , just two months into Harding ' s presidency , violence was initiated near Matewan , West Virginia , between private detectives , on behalf of the Stone Mountain Coal Company , and United Mine Workers union members who had been fired from their jobs and were being evicted from company - owned housing . The miners cut down telephone and telegraph lines and trained their guns on the mines , strikebreakers and buildings . The battle lasted three days and on the first day and night of the battle some 10 , 000 rounds were fired . Former Justice of the Peace Harry C . Staton was killed , and Ephraim Morgan , Governor of West Virginia , pleaded in person with Harding for federal military support . Harding , who was keeping track of the situation , would only send in troops if state militia could no longer handle the striking miners . On August 1 , Sid Hatfield , a prominent Union organizer and Matewan chief of police , was assassinated by mining company agents . On August 28 , four days of fighting broke out on a front at Blair Mountain between coal company militia and thousands of Union miners led by Bill Blizzard . Both the miner and the strike buster armies were equipped with physicians , nurses and chaplains . Harding , having issued two proclamations to keep the peace , finally used military force including Martin MB - 1 bombers that deployed gas and explosive bombs . Federal troops arrived on September 2 , forcing the miners to flee to their homes and hostilities ended on September 4 ; 50 to 100 miners had been killed , as well as 30 strike busters , in the fighting . After the battle , 985 miners were tried and imprisoned for crimes against the State of West Virginia . Bill Blizzard was indicted and tried for treason , but was acquitted . Strikes by the UMW were restarted again in 1922 when workers refused a wage reduction insisted upon by companies . Union wages apparently had risen far above others under the Wilson administration . After five months , the companies capitulated , and the wage reductions were tabled . This was a Pyrrhic victory for Lewis and the UMW , as membership in the union would drop from 400K to 150K by 1930 as the nation transitioned to less costly petroleum . Great railway strike and repeal of 12 - hour workday . A year after Harding contended with the 1921 mining labor war in West Virginia , a strike broke out during the summer of 1922 in the railroad industry . On July 1 , 1922 , 400 , 000 railroad workers and shopmen went on strike over hourly wages reduced by seven cents and a 12 hour - day workweek . Strike busters were brought in to fill the positions . Harding proposed a settlement that gave the shop workers some concessions ; however , the railroad owners objected . Harding sent out the National Guard and 2 , 200 deputy U . S . marshals to keep the peace . Attorney General Harry M . Daugherty convinced Judge James H . Wilkerson to issue a broad sweeping injunction to break up the strike . This was known as the " Wilkerson " or " Daugherty " injunction , which enraged the union as well as many in congress , as it prohibited First Amendment rights . Harding had Daugherty and Wilkerson withdraw the objectionable parts of the injunction . The injunction ultimately succeeded in ending the strike ; however , tensions remained high between railroad workers and company men for years . Daugherty ' s harsh injunction against labor created great discord in Harding ' s cabinet . This , along with Daugherty ' s other activities , prompted one congressman , Oscar Keller of Minnesota , to attempt , in vain , to bring impeachment charges against the Attorney General . In 1922 , Harding and Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover convened a White House conference with manufacturers and unions , to reduce the length of the 12 - hour workday , in a move for the cause of labor . The labor movement supported an 8 - hour day and a 6 - day workweek . Harding wrote Judge Gary , a steel industry leader who attended the meeting , advocating labor reform . The labor conference , however , decided against labor ' s demands in 1923 . Both Harding and Hoover were disappointed with the committee ' s ruling . Harding wrote a second letter to Gary and with public support the steel industry repealed the 12 - hour work day to an eight - hour work day . Anti - lynching movement and immigration . Notably in an age of severe racial intolerance during the 1920s , Harding did not hold any racial animosity , according to historian Carl S . Anthony . In a speech on October 26 , 1921 , given in segregated Birmingham , Alabama Harding advocated civil rights for African Americans ; the first President to openly advocate black political , educational , and economic equality during the 20th century . Harding went further and viewed the race problem as a national and international issue and desired that the sectionalism of the Solid South and black membership of the Republican party be broken up . Harding , however , openly stated that he was not for black social equality in terms of racial mixing or miscegenation . Harding also spoke on the Great Migration , believing that blacks migrating to the north and west to find employment had actually tempered race relations between blacks and whites . According to the Louisiana Historical Association , he named some African Americans to federal positions , such as Walter L . Cohen of New Orleans , Louisiana , whom he named comptroller of customs . Harding also advocated the establishment of an international commission to improve race relations between whites and blacks ; however , strong political opposition by the Southern Democratic bloc prevented the commission . The Ku Klux Klan had its highest membership during its revival in the 1920s , when it expanded membership among urban populations of the Midwest and South who were concerned about job competition and immigration . Harding supported Congressman Leonidas Dyer ' s federal anti - lynching bill , known as the Dyer Bill , which passed the House of Representatives on January 26 , 1922 . The bill was defeated in the Senate by a Democratic filibuster . Harding had previously spoken out publicly against lynching on October 21 , 1921 . Congress had not debated a civil rights bill since the 1890 Federal Elections Bill . The Per Centum Act of 1921 signed by Harding on May 19 , 1921 , severely reduced the amount of immigration into the U . S . to 3 % of a country ' s represented population based on the 1910 census . The Act allowed unauthorized immigrants to be deported . Harding and Secretary of Labor James Davis believed that enforcement had to be humane . Harding often allowed exceptions granting reprieves to thousands of immigrants . Sheppard – Towner Maternity Act . On November 21 , 1921 , Harding signed the Sheppard – Towner Maternity Act , the first major federal government social welfare program in the U . S . The law funded almost 3 , 000 child and health centers throughout the U . S . Medical doctors were spurred to offer preventative health care measures in addition to treating ill children . Doctors were required to help healthy pregnant women and prevent healthy children from getting sick . Child welfare workers were sent out to make sure that parents were taking care of their children . Many minority groups , particularly African American , Native American , and foreign - born women , resented the law and the welfare workers who visited their homes and intruded into their family ' s lives . The law was sponsored by a woman , Julia Lathrop , America ' s first director of the U . S . Children ' s Bureau . Although the law remained in effect only eight years , it set the trend for New Deal social programs during the Great Depression . Many women who had been given the right to vote in 1920 , were given career opportunities as welfare and social workers . Religious toleration . Harding was tolerant towards religious faiths . Harding appointed prominent Jewish leader , Rabbi Joseph S . Kornfeld , and Catholic leader , Father Joseph M . Dennig , to foreign diplomatic positions . Harding also appointed Albert Lasker , a Jewish businessman and Harding ' s 1920 Presidential campaign manager , head of the Shipping Department . In an unpublished letter , Harding advocated the establishment and funding of a Jewish homeland in Palestine . Life at the White House . Katherine Marcia Forbes , wife of Harding ' s Veterans Bureau appointment Charles R . Forbes , had unprecedented access to the White House . Mrs . Harding and Katherine had become close friends since meeting in Hawaii , when Senator Harding and his wife were on vacation . In 1921 , Katherine Forbes wrote a series of articles for the " Washington Post " describing the daily life of President Harding and the First Lady . President Harding and Mrs . Harding wanted to be known as , " . . . just home folks . " At dinners , Harding ' s dog Laddie Boy , was allowed to beg guests for food and play with children . Red velvet upholstery covered much of the furniture . Harding ' s informal dress included a plain tuxedo , plaited shirt , and pearl studs . Mrs . Harding herself was able to talk with many guests at the same time . Inside the White House , the Hardings had a great grandfather clock , a gold fish bowl , a French vase with pussy willow s , neutral color rugs , and a grand piano . Harding sometimes gave children private tours of the White House that included the conservatories and kennels . Harding ' s lifestyle at the White House was fairly unconventional compared to his predecessor President Woodrow Wilson . Upstairs at the White House , in the Yellow Oval Room , Harding allowed bootleg whiskey to be freely served to his guests during after - dinner parties at a time when the President was supposed to enforce Prohibition . One witness , Alice Longworth , daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt , claimed that trays , " . . . with bottles containing every imaginable brand of whiskey stood about . " Some of this alcohol had been directly confiscated from the Prohibition department by Jess Smith , assistant to U . S . Attorney General Harry Daugherty . Mrs . Harding , also known as the " Duchess " , mixed drinks for the guests . Harding also indulged in poker playing twice a week , smoking , and chewing tobacco . Harding allegedly won a $ 4 , 000 pearl necktie pin at one White House poker game . Although criticized by Prohibitionist advocate Wayne B . Wheeler over Washington , D . C . rumors of these " wild parties " , Harding claimed his personal drinking inside the White House was his own business . Administrative scandals . Upon winning the election , Harding appointed many of his longtime allies and campaign contributors to prominent political positions in control of vast amounts of government money and resources . Known as the " Ohio Gang " ( a term used by Charles Mee , Jr . , in his book of the same name ) , some of the appointees used their new powers to exploit their positions for personal gain . Although Harding was responsible for making these appointments , it is unclear how much , if anything , Harding himself knew about his friends ' illicit activities . No evidence to date suggests that Harding personally profited from such crimes , but he was apparently unable to prevent them . " I have no trouble with my enemies " , Harding told journalist William Allen White late in his presidency , " but my damn friends , they ' re the ones that keep me walking the floor nights ! " The only scandal which was openly discovered during Harding ' s lifetime was in the Veteran ' s Bureau . Yet the gossip became rampant after the suicides of Charles Cramer ( Veterans Bureau ) and Jess Smith ( Justice Dept . ) Harding responded aggressively to all of this with a mixture of grief , anger and perplexity . Before any of the scandalous activity became widely known , Harding ' s popularity began to ebb , but he responded with determination to run for re - election , despite strong support emerging for the very popular Henry Ford for the Democrats . While on his trip to Alaska in 1923 , Harding asked reporters and Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover , how he should respond to associates who may have betrayed him . He also said at this time , according to Joe Mitchell Chapple , " Someday the people will understand all that some of my erstwhile friends have done for me . " However much he did know at the time of his departure for Alaska , Russell concludes it did not include Fall and Daugherty . Harding reformed the corrupt Veteran ' s Bureau in March , 1923 . Teapot Dome . The most notorious scandal was the Teapot Dome affair , most of which came to light long after Harding ' s death . This affair concerned an oil reserve in Wyoming that was covered by a teapot - shaped rock formation . For years , the country had taken measures to ensure the availability of petroleum reserves , particularly for the Navy ' s use . On February 23 , 1923 , Harding issued Executive Order # 3797 , which created the Naval Petroleum Reserve Number 4 in Alaska . By the 1920s , it was clear that petroleum was important to the national economy and security . The reserve system was to keep the oil under government jurisdiction rather than subject to private claims . Management of these reserves was the subject of multi - dimensional arguments — beginning with a turf battle between the Secretary of the Navy and the Interior Dept . The strategic reserves issue was also a debate topic between conservationists and the petroleum industry , as well as those who favored public ownership versus private control . Harding ' s Secretary of the Interior , Albert B . Fall , brought to that office a lot of political and legal experience — and also a lot of personal debt , incurred in his obsession to expand his personal estate , Three Rivers , in New Mexico . He also was an avid supporter of the private ownership and management of reserves . Fall contracted Edward Doheny of Pan American Corp . to build storage tanks in exchange for drilling rights . It later came to light that Doheny had made significant personal loans to Fall . The Secretary also negotiated leases for the Teapot Dome reserves to Harry Sinclair of the Consolidated Oil Corp . in return for guaranteed oil reserves to the credit of the government . Again , it later emerged that Sinclair had personally made concurrent cash payments of over $ 400 , 000 to Fall . These activities took place under the unsuspecting watch of progressive and conservationist attorney , Harry Slattery , acting for Gifford Pinchot and Robert La Follete . Fall was ultimately convicted in 1931 of accepting bribes and illegal no - interest personal loans in exchange for the leasing of public oil fields to business associates . In 1931 , Fall was the first cabinet member in history imprisoned for crimes committed while in office . Paradoxically , while Fall was convicted for taking the bribe , Doheny was acquitted of paying it . Justice Department . Harding ' s appointment of Harry M . Daugherty as Attorney General received more criticism than any other . As Harding ' s campaign manager , Daugherty ' s Ohio lobbying and back room maneuvers with politicians were not considered the best qualifications . Historian M . R . Werner referred to the Justice Department under Harding and Daugherty as " the den of a ward politician and the White House a night club " . On September 16 , 1922 , Minnesota Congressman Oscar E . Keller brought impeachment charges against Daugherty . On December 4 , formal investigation hearings , headed by congressman Andrew J . Volstead , began against Daugherty . The impeachment process , however , stopped , since Keller ' s charges that Daugherty protected interests in trust and war fraud cases could not be substantially proven . One alleged scandal involving Daugherty concerned the Wright - Martin Aircraft Corp . , which supposedly overcharged the Federal government by $ 2 . 3 million on war contracts . Capt . Hazel Scaife tried to bring the company to trial , but was blocked by the Department of Justice . At this time , Daugherty was said to have owned stock in the company and was even adding to these holdings , though he was never charged in the matter . Daugherty remained in his position during the early days of the Calvin Coolidge administration , then resigned on March 28 , 1924 , amidst allegations that he accepted bribes from bootleggers . Daugherty was later tried and acquitted twice for corruption . Both juries hung — in one case , after 65 hours of deliberation . Daugherty ' s famous defense attorney , Max D . Steuer , blamed all corruption allegations against Daugherty on Jess Smith , an aide at the Justice Department who had committed suicide . Harding ' s Attorney General hired William J . Burns to run the Justice Dept . ' s Bureau of Investigation , Burns was said to be unabashed in his willingness to conduct unauthorized searches and seizures of political enemies of the Justice Dept . A number of inquisitive congressmen or senators found themselves the object of wire taps , rifled files , and copied correspondence . Burns ' primary operative was Gaston B . Means , a reputed con man , who was known to have fixed prosecutions , sold favors , and manipulated files in the Justice Dept . Means , who acted independently , took direct instructions and payments from Jess Smith , without Burn ' s knowledge , to spy on Congressmen . Means hired a woman , Laura Jacobson , to spy on Senator Thaddeus Caraway , a critic of the Harding administration . Means also was involved with " roping " bootleggers . Narcotic trafficking was rampant at the Atlanta Penitentiary while Daugherty was Attorney General . The appointed warden , J . E . Dyche , made internal prison reforms by firing two guards while two other officers were indicted by the Justice Department . Daugherty , however , was slow to follow up on these indictments . As Dyche began to investigate the drug supply ring outside the prison , Daugherty fired him and replaced him with a close friend , A . E . Sartain . Daugherty stopped the investigation into the drug ring until the two indicted officers were brought to trial . The Superintendent of Prisons , Heber Votaw , allegedly interfered and suppressed Dyche ' s attempted investigation into the narcotic ring outside the prison . Votaw , was Harding ' s brother - in - law , and had been appointed by the President in April 1921 . Harding sent Charles R . Forbes , Director of the Veterans Bureau , to privately investigate the matter . This upset Daugherty , who said the Atlanta prison situation was none of Forbes ' business . Daugherty , according to a 1924 Senate investigation into the Justice Department , had authorized a system of graft between aides Jess Smith and Howard Mannington . Both Mannington and Smith allegedly took bribes to secure appointments , prison pardons , and freedom from prosecution . A majority of these purchasable pardons were directed towards bootleggers . Cincinnati bootlegger , George L . Remus , allegedly paid Jess Smith $ 250 , 000 to not prosecute him . Remus , however , " was " prosecuted , convicted , and sentenced to Atlanta prison . Smith tried to extract more bribe money from Remus to pay for a pardon . The prevalent question at the Justice Department was " How is he fixed ? " Jess W . Smith . Daugherty ' s personal aide Jess W . Smith , was widely viewed as the Attorney General ' s ( and therefore the President ' s ) spokesman and henchman . Smith was considered Daugherty ' s proxy , and a central figure , in government file manipulation , paroles and pardons , influence peddling — and even served as bag man . During Prohibition , pharmacies received alcohol permits to sell alcohol for medical purposes . According to Congressional testimony , Daugherty allegedly arranged for Jess Smith and Howard Mannington to sell these permits to drug company agents who really represented bootleggers . The bootleggers , having obtained a permit could buy cases of whiskey . Smith and Mannington split the permit sales profits . Approximately 50 , 000 to 60 , 000 cases of whiskey were sold to bootleggers at a net worth of $ 750 , 000 to $ 900 , 000 . Smith also supplied bootleg whiskey to the White House and the Ohio Gang house on K Street , concealing the whiskey in a briefcase for poker games . Eventually , rumors of Smith ' s abuses — free use of government cars , going to all night parties , manipulation of Justice Department files — reached Harding . Harding withdrew Smith ' s White House clearance and Daugherty told him to leave Washington . On May 30 , 1923 , Smith ' s dead body was found at Daugherty ' s apartment with a gunshot wound to the head . William J . Burns immediately took Smith ' s body away and there was no autopsy . Russell , concluding this was a suicide , indicates that a Daugherty aide entered Smith ' s room moments after a noise awoke him , and found Smith on the floor with his head in a trash can and a revolver in his hand . Russell also states that Smith had purchased the gun ( though he was said to have detested guns ) , that a bullet had entered Smith ' s temple , exited the forehead , and lodged in a doorjamb . Smith allegedly purchased the gun from a hardware store shortly before his death , after Daugherty verbally abused him for waking him up from a nap . Veterans ' bureau . Charles R . Forbes , the energetic Director of the Veterans Bureau , disregarded the dire needs of wounded World War I veterans to procure his own wealth . To limit corruption in the Veterans ' Bureau , Harding insisted that all government contracts be by public notice , but Forbes provided inside information to his co - conspirators to ensure their bids succeeded . After his appointment , Forbes was quick to have Harding issue executive orders that gave him control over veterans ' hospital construction and supplies . Forbes defrauded the government of an estimated $ 225 million through hospital construction , after increasing construction costs from $ 3 , 000 to $ 4 , 000 per bed . Forbes ' main task at the Veterans bureau , having an unprecedented $ 500 million yearly budget , was to ensure that new hospitals were built around the country to help the 300 , 000 wounded World War I veterans . In the Spring of 1922 , Forbes went on tours , known as " joy - rides " , of new hospital construction sites around the country and the Pacific Coast . On these tours , Forbes allegedly received traveling perks and alcohol kickbacks , took a $ 5 , 000 bribe in Chicago , and made a secret code to ensure $ 17 million in government construction hospital contracts with corrupt contractors . On the tours , Forbes allegedly went to parties , drank bootleg liquor , and played craps . Intent on making more money , on his return to the U . S . Capitol Forbes immediately began selling valuable hospital supplies under his control in large warehouses at the Perryville Depot . The government had stockpiled huge amounts of hospital supplies during the first World War , which Forbes unloaded for a fraction of their cost to the Boston firm of Thompson and Kelly . In exchange for the deal , J . W . Thompson of the firm added $ 150 , 000 to the contract for Forbes , who also received a percentage of the profits realized . The check on Forbes ' authority at Perryville was Gen . Charles E . Sawyer , chairman of the Federal Hospitalization Board , who represented controlling interests in the valuable hospital supplies . Dr . Sawyer and Forbes were at odds with each other over authority at the Veterans Bureau . Sawyer , a homeopathic doctor who was Harding ' s personal physician , told Harding that Forbes was selling valuable hospital supplies to an insider contractor . After issuing two orders for the sales to stop , Harding finally summoned Forbes to the White House and demanded Forbes ' resignation , since Forbes had been insubordinate in not stopping the shipments . Harding , however , was not yet ready to announce Forbes ' resignation and let him flee to Europe on the " flimsy pretext " that he would help disabled U . S . Veterans in Europe . While in Europe , Forbes submitted his resignation to Harding on February 15 , 1923 . Harding placed a reformer , Brigadier General Frank T . Hines , in charge of the Veterans Bureau . Hines immediately cleared up the mess left by Forbes . When Forbes returned to the U . S . , he visited Harding at the White House in the Red Room . During the meeting , Harding angrily grabbed Forbes by the throat , shook him vigorously , and exclaimed " You double - crossing bastard ! " A guest who had an appointment with the President interrupted this physical encounter and Forbes was allowed to leave . Harding was bitter over Forbes ' " betrayal " and the two never saw each other again . In 1926 , Forbes was brought to trial and convicted of conspiracy to defraud the U . S . government . He drew a two - year prison sentence and was released in November 1927 . Charles F . Cramer , Forbes ' legal council to the Veterans Bureau , rocked the nation ' s capital when he committed suicide in 1923 . Cramer was found dead by a maid in his bathroom on the morning of March 14 with a bullet wound to the head . Previously , in the fall of 1922 Cramer had been " bitterly assailed " by the American Legion at Indianapolis over alleged corruption at the Veterans Bureau . Cramer , at the time of his death , was being investigated by a Senate committee and had been criticized and personally attacked . Cramer , himself , had denied charges of corruption and said he had given his " whole - hearted and patriotic service " to the Bureau . Cramer had paid $ 40 , 000 in Veteran funds to a private landholder to lease land to build a Veterans Hospital in Camp Kearny , California . The estimated value of the 325 - acre land tract was only $ 8 , 000 . Maj . Gen . John F . O ' Ryan conducted the investigation into the Veterans ' Bureau . In addition to replacing Forbes with Hines , Harding dismissed or transferred a number of subordinates at the Veteran ' s Bureau . Shipping board , office of alien property and prohibition bureau . On June 13 , 1921 , Harding appointed Albert D . Lasker chairman of the United States Shipping Board . Lasker , a cash donor and Harding ' s general campaign manager , had no previous experience with shipping companies . The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 had allowed the Shipping Board to sell ships made by the U . S . Government to private American companies . A congressional investigation revealed that while Lasker was in charge , many valuable steel cargo ships , worth between $ 200 and $ 250 a ton , were sold for as low as $ 30 a ton to private American shipping companies without an appraisal board . J . Harry Philbin , a manager in the sales division , testified at the congressional hearing that under Lasker ' s authority U . S . ships were sold , " . . . as is , where is , take your pick , no matter which vessel you took . " Lasker resigned from the Shipping Board on July 1 , 1923 . Thomas W . Miller , head of the Office of Alien Property , was convicted of accepting bribes . Miller ' s citizenship rights were taken away and he was sentenced to 18 months in prison and a $ 5 , 000 fine . After Miller served 13 months of his sentence , he was released on parole . President Herbert Hoover restored Miller ' s citizenship on February 2 , 1933 . Roy Asa Haynes , Harding ' s Prohibition Commissioner , ran the patronage - riddled Prohibition bureau , which was allegedly corrupt from top to bottom . The bureau ' s " B permits " for liquor sales became tantamount to negotiable securities , as a result of being so widely bought and sold among known violators of the law . The bureau ' s agents allegedly made a year ' s salary from one month ' s illicit sales of permits . Western travels , illness and death . In June 1923 , Harding set out on a westward cross - country " Voyage of Understanding " , in which he planned to renew his connection with the people , away from the capital , and explain his policies . The schedule included 18 speeches and innumerable informal talks . Accompanying him were Secretaries Work , Wallace , and Hoover , House Speaker Gillett , and Rear Admiral Adam Hugh Rodman . During this trip , he became the first president to visit Alaska . Harding ' s physical health had declined since the fall of 1922 . One doctor , Emmanuel Libman , who met Harding at a dinner , privately suggested that the President was suffering from coronary disease . By early 1923 , Harding had trouble sleeping , looked tired , and could barely get through nine holes of golf . Though Harding wanted to run for a second term , he may have been aware of his own health decline . He gave up drinking , sold his " life - work , " the Marion " Star " , in part to regain $ 170 , 000 previous investment losses , and had the U . S . Attorney General Harry Daugherty make a new will . Harding , along with his personal physician Dr . Charles E . Sawyer , believed getting away from Washington would help relieve the stresses of being President . By July 1923 , criticism of the Harding Administration was increasing . Prior to his leaving Washington , the President reported chest pains that radiated down his left arm . St . Louis , Kansas , Denver . During Harding ' s western travels , historian Samuel H . Adams claims that Harding ' s political views began to expand , and became more independent from established Republican Party agenda . In St . Louis , Harding promoted U . S . participation in the World Court having earnestly desired world peace . In Kansas , Harding gave a speech on agriculture and , much to his doctor ' s displeasure , rode on a farming combine in searing summer heat . In Denver , Harding extolled the virtues of the 18th Amendment , saying it should never be repealed , urging that the prohibition laws be obeyed . Harding , himself , did not pack any whiskey for traveling on the Presidential train . Breaking away from Republican isolationism , Harding advocated more spending on national defense in case of another war . Harding also made a speech fully endorsing labor ' s right to organize , and even spoke against those who sought to destroy labor movements around the country . In Tacoma , Washington , the President read a letter that promoted his efforts for a 12 - hour work day . Sensing his own conversion , Harding even told his friends that he felt a spiritual change was influencing his stance on issues . Alaska , British Columbia , Seattle . President Harding , as his physically demanding schedule continued , boarded a naval transport ship , the , and voyaged to Alaska . During four days at sea , Harding was unable to rest and regain strength . Rumors of corruption in his administration were beginning to circulate in Washington . While in Alaska , Harding was profoundly shocked by a long message he received detailing illegal activities previously unknown to him . Harding ' s reasons for the Alaska visit included encouraging colonization of the sparsely populated territory . Harding hoped that , with completion of the Alaska Railroad , World War I veterans from Alaska would return to their home territory , and impoverished workers in the lower states could go to Alaska for employment . Harding brought along Secretary of Interior Hubert Work , Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover , and Secretary of Agriculture Henry C . Wallace — " the three bears " , as Herbert Hoover called them — to cut through bureaucracy in their respective departmental jurisdictions . According to author Douglas Brinkley , Harding came to the most northern U . S . territory to " open up Alaska lands " for oil , mining , timber development , and industry . Harding arrived in Alaska on the " Henderson " on July 7 , 1923 . Harding and his presidential party first visited Metlakatla , Ketchikan ( July 8 ) , and Wrangell ( July 9 ) . They continued on to Juneau ( July 10 ) , Skagway , and Glacier Bay ( July 11 ) . The President then cruised to Seward ( July 13 ) . They then proceeded to travel by Presidential railway car and automobile . Harding visited Snow River on the Kenai Peninsula , Anchorage ( July 13 ) , Chickaloon , Wasilla and Willow ( July 14 ) . The U . S . government had bought up the financially unstable Tanana Valley Railroad . The President continued his Alaska journey through Montana Station , Curry ( July 14 ) Cantwell , McKinley Park and Nenana ( July 15 ) . On July 15 , 1923 , Harding drove in the golden spike on the north side of the steel Mears Memorial Bridge that completed the Alaska Railroad . The trip continued to Fairbanks ( July 15 ) where it was decided ( July 16 ) that the President and his wife would return to Seward ( July 17 ) via the railroad . They spent a restful day at Seward ( July 18 ) . From there they took the " Henderson " to Valdez ( July 19 ) , Cordova ( July 20 ) , and Sitka ( July 22 ) . While in Sitka , Harding visited and shook hands with Alaskan Native Tlingit elder chief Katlean outside in a crowd of people . The information gathered by Harding ' s Alaska tour found that improving agriculture in south central Alaska , would require irrigation because of the low territory rainfall totals . By 1923 , the Alaskan salmon population was being depleted from overfishing . Harvesting and transporting coal by ship from Alaska through the territory ' s panhandle would be very expensive . On July 26 , 1923 , having departed Alaska on the " Henderson " , Harding toured Vancouver , British Columbia as the first sitting American President ever to visit Canada . Harding became exhausted while playing golf at the Shaughnessy Heights Golf Club , and complained of nausea and upper abdominal pain . His doctor , Charles E . Sawyer , believed Harding ' s illness was a severe case of food poisoning . Nevertheless , Dr . Joel T . Boone also examined the President and noticed an enlargement of his heart . Harding ' s pulse and breathing rate were rapid . The President was given digitalis . Harding met with British Columbia Premier John Oliver and Mayor of Vancouver Charles Tisdall at the Hotel Vancouver . Harding spoke in front of 50 , 000 people at Stanley Park with his voice projected by microphones . Harding inspected The Vancouver Regiment honor guard accompanied by Canadian Brig . Gen . V . W . Odlum . There is a monument to President Harding in Vancouver ' s Stanley Park . Coming into Seattle , Washington , Harding ' s transport ship , the " Henderson " , accidentally rammed into the , a U . S . naval destroyer , in the fog . Harding was not harmed in the incident . While in port , Harding reviewed the U . S . naval fleet and visited the Bell Street Pier . In Seattle , Harding greeted children and led 50 , 000 Boy Scout s in the Pledge of Allegiance . Harding gave his final speech to a large crowd of 25 , 000 people at the University of Washington stadium in Seattle . Harding spoke on the magnificence of Alaska ' s wilderness , conservationism , and " measureless oil resources in the most northerly sections . " Sec . of Commerce Herbert Hoover wrote the Seattle speech and Harding claimed he would protect the territory from looters and profit seekers ; a rebuff to former Sec . of Interior Albert Fall . Harding had rushed through his speech not waiting for applause by the audience . Harding traveled by train from Seattle to Portland , Oregon . Harding ' s scheduled speech in Portland was canceled . Death in San Francisco , state funeral and memorial . The President ' s train continued south to San Francisco . Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover sent a telegram from Dunsmuir , California , to his friend Dr . Ray L . Wilbur , asking Wilbur to meet and to personally evaluate the President . Arriving at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco , Harding developed a respiratory illness believed to be pneumonia . Harding , severely exhausted , ordered that his planned speech be issued through the national press in order to communicate with the public . The President was given digitalis and caffeine that momentarily helped relieve his heart condition and sleeplessness . On Thursday , the President ' s health appeared to improve , so his doctors went to dinner . Harding ' s pulse was normal and his lung infection had subsided . Unexpectedly , during the evening , Harding shuddered and died suddenly in the middle of conversation with his wife in the hotel ' s presidential suite , at 7 : 35 p . m . on August 2 , 1923 . Dr . Sawyer ( a homeopath , and friend of the Harding family ) , opined that Harding had succumbed to a stroke , but doctors there disagreed . Immediately after Harding died , word of the event quickly spread to the San Francisco streets . People rushed into the Palace Hotel , and rapidly crowded into the hallways . The San Francisco chief of police , Daniel J . O ' Brian , finally was able to clear the hotel of the unruly mob , and members of Harding ' s official party could come see him . After some discussion , the doctors issued a release stating that the cause of death was " some brain evolvement , probably an apoplexy . " Mrs . Harding refused to allow an autopsy . In retrospect , scholars speculate that Harding had shown physical signs of cardiac insufficiency with congestive heart failure in the preceding weeks . Naval medical consultants who examined the president in San Francisco concluded he had suffered a heart attack . Dr . Wilbur included in his memoirs a letter from Dr . Charles Miner Cooper in support of their cerebral apoplexy diagnosis , based on Harding ' s last observed condition , while acknowledging that no final determination could be made . Harding was succeeded as President by Vice President Calvin Coolidge , who was sworn in while vacationing at Plymouth Notch , Vermont , by his father , a Vermont notary public . A story of Harding ' s body being laid in state in San Francisco City Hall before being returned to Washington is apparently false . The " Examiner " for Aug . 3 , 1923 , states that Harding ' s " remains will not be taken from the hotel except to go directly to the train . " The " Chronicle " for Aug . 3 and 4 , 1923 , says the same thing , that Harding ' s body was taken from the Palace Hotel directly to the train depot at Third and Townsend . The funeral train made a four - day journey eastward across the country — the first such procession since Lincoln ' s funeral train . Millions lined the tracks in cities and towns across the country to pay their respects . Harding ' s casket was placed in the East Room of the White House pending a state funeral , which was held on August 8 , 1923 , at the United States Capitol . Unnamed White House employees said that the night before the funeral , they heard Mrs . Harding talking to her dead husband . According to the historian Samuel H . Adams , Harding ' s death was mourned by the nation and the average citizen felt a " personal loss . " Harding was entombed in the receiving vault of the Marion Cemetery , Marion , Ohio , on August 10 , 1923 . Following Mrs . Harding ' s death on November 21 , 1924 ( from renal failure ) , she was buried next to her husband . Their remains were re - interred December 20 , 1927 , at the newly completed Harding Memorial in Marion , dedicated by President Herbert Hoover on June 16 , 1931 . The delay between final interment and the dedication was partly because of the aftermath of the Teapot Dome scandal . Harding was survived by his father Dr . George Tryon Harding , who died on November 19 , 1928 . Harding and John F . Kennedy are the only two presidents to have predeceased their fathers . Harding ' s term of office was the shortest of any 20th - century U . S . President . Speculation on cause of death . Harding ' s sudden death led to theories that he had been poisoned or committed suicide . Suicide appears unlikely , since Harding was planning for reelection in 1924 . Rumors of poisoning were fueled , in part , by a book called " The Strange Death of President Harding , " in which the author ( convicted criminal , former Ohio Gang member , and detective Gaston Means , hired by Mrs . Harding to investigate Warren Harding and his mistress ) suggested that Mrs . Harding had poisoned her husband . Mrs . Harding ' s refusal to allow an autopsy on her husband only added to the speculation . According to the physicians attending Harding , however , the symptoms prior to his death all pointed to congestive heart failure . Harding ' s biographer , Samuel H . Adams , concluded that " Warren G . Harding died a natural death which , in any case , could not have been long postponed " . Presidential papers destroyed . Immediately after Harding ' s death , Mrs . Harding returned to Washington , D . C . , and stayed in the White House briefly with the Coolidges . For a month , former First Lady Harding gathered and burned President Harding ' s correspondence and documents , both official and unofficial . Upon her return to Marion , Mrs . Harding hired a number of secretaries to collect and burn Harding ' s personal papers . According to Mrs . Harding , she took these actions to protect her husband ' s legacy . The remaining papers were held and kept from public view by the " Harding Memorial Association " in Marion . Judicial appointments . Supreme Court . Harding appointed the following justices to the Supreme Court of the United States : Other judicial appointments . Harding also appointed 6 judges to the United States Courts of Appeals , 42 judges to the United States district courts , and 2 judges to the United States Court of Customs Appeals . Personal controversies . In a 1998 " Washington Post " article , journalist Carl S . Anthony wrote that Harding had extramarital affairs with four women . These women included Susie Hodder and Carrie Fulton Phillips , Mrs . Harding ' s personal friends ; Grace Cross , Harding ' s senatorial aide ; and Nan Britton . Anthony stated that Harding was the father of Hodder ' s daughter . In her 1927 book , " The President ' s Daughter " , Britton said that Harding fathered her daughter , Elizabeth Ann , as well , during a 1919 tryst in his senatorial offices . Britton , who had a profound obsession with Harding beginning in high school , also said that she was his mistress before and during his administration . Historian Henry F . Graff states that Harding was sterile and that Harding ' s affair with Britton ended after Harding assumed the presidency . Historian Francis Russell indicates that , beginning in the spring of 1905 , Harding had a 15 - year relationship with Carrie Fulton Phillips , wife of businessman and friend James Eaton Phillips of Marion , Ohio . More than 100 intimate letters between Harding and Mrs . Philips were discovered in the 1960s , but publication of the letters was enjoined by court order in Ohio until 2024 . Russell , however , viewed the letters upon their discovery and described them as very touching and naive in some respects , erotic in others . Russell also concluded from the letters that Phillips was the love of Harding ' s life — " the enticements of his mind and body combined in one person " . Before his death , Harding had established a margin account with stockbroker Sam Ungerleider . Before the broker could get authority from Harding ' s successors to liquidate the stocks purchased on loan , the account had a loss of more than $ 170 , 000 . The broker was given the authority to sell , but the family refused to settle the loss and the broker declined to force collection . The most sensational allegations include one that Harding and Attorney General Harry M . Daugherty participated in bacchanalian orgies at the Ohio Gang ' s Little Green House on K Street in Washington , D . C . ; witnesses to this were considered unreliable and one was a convicted perjurer . Also , in his 1987 book " The Fiery Cross " , historian Wyn Craig Wade suggested that Harding had ties with the Ku Klux Klan , perhaps having been inducted into the organization in a private White House ceremony . Evidence included the taped testimony of one of the members of the alleged induction team ; however , evidence beyond that is scanty . Other historians generally dismiss these stories . Several historians deny claims of orgies and mistresses , such as Robert H . Ferrell and Paul Johnson . Johnson writes in " Modern Times " : " When in 1964 the Harding Papers ( which had not been burnt ) were opened to scholars , no truth at all was found in any of the myths , though it emerged that Harding , a pathetically shy man with women , had a sad and touching friendship with the wife of a Marion store - owner before his presidency . The Babylonian image was a fantasy , and in all essentials Harding had been an honest and exceptionally shrewd president . " Historical ranking as president . Harding traditionally has been ranked as one of the worst presidents . In a 1948 poll conducted by Harvard University historian Arthur M . Schlesinger , Sr . , the first notable survey of scholars ' opinions of the presidents , Harding ranked last among the 29 presidents considered . In a 1962 poll conducted by Schlesinger , he was ranked last again , 31 out of 31 . His son , Arthur M . Schlesinger , Jr . , conducted another poll in 1996 ; once again , Harding was last , ranked 39 out of 39 . In 2010 , a Siena College Research Institute survey of 238 presidential scholars ranked Harding 41st among the 43 men who had been president , between Franklin Pierce ( 40th ) and James Buchanan ( 42nd ) ; Andrew Johnson was adjudged the worst . Harding was also considered the third worst president in a 2002 Siena poll . Siena polls of 1982 , 1990 and 1992 ranked him last . However , Harding ' s biographer John W . Dean in 2004 believed that Harding was underrated . Authors Marcus Raskin and Robert Spero , in 2007 , also believed that Harding was underrated , and admired Harding ' s quest for world peace after World War I and his successful naval disarmament among strongly armed nations , including France , Britain , and Japan . In his 2010 book " The Leaders We Deserved ( and a Few We Didn ' t ) : Rethinking the Presidential Rating Game " , presidential historian Alvin S . Felzenberg , ranking presidents on several different criteria , ranked Harding 26th out of 40 presidents considered . Life legacy . As a career politician , Harding exhibited an ability to grow , and had a desire to get along with political enemies rather than alienate them . As a prior journalist , Harding was the first President to realize the importance of an ever growing powerful media , and even ordered his cabinet to organize their own respective press staff . He knew that radio would eventually dominate American commerce and promoted two Radio Conferences to give government power to regulate the industry . Harding also sensed the importance of oil in terms of national security and prosperity , signing an executive order that gave the U . S . a giant oil reserve in Alaska . Harding staunchly protected American business interests . He also signed America ' s first child welfare program designed to protect children ' s health and ensure that they would grow up without neglect from their parents . Harding was also the first president that pursued world security through arms reduction and regulation during the Washington peace conference . Harding ' s generosity and loyalty to friends was a liability as President . Multiple scandals evolved during his administration that damaged his reputation throughout the nation . His successes as President were over shadowed by the " Ohio Gang " criminal exploits , the detrimental image of his social drinking , and his alleged extramarital affairs . His sudden death in 1923 only intensified unanswered questions concerning his knowledge of , and potential involvement in , the scandals — and if he would have reformed his administration . In fact , his reputation was so controversial , it was not until 1931 that Harding ' s marble memorial colonnade in Marion was dedicated by Herbert Hoover . According to Hoover , Harding ' s legacy was one of tragic betrayal . Harding ' s legacy began to improve during the 1970s , however . The truth behind the many presidential scandals and his personal controversies may never be known . To protect her husband ' s damaged legacy , Mrs . Harding only left 1 / 7 of Harding ' s personal papers for posterity . She destroyed the rest . The remaining papers , except for Harding ' s speeches , are currently unpublished . Harding has been one of the most historically challenging American Presidents in terms of finding private letters and paper documents . Historian Hazel Rowley writes that because the Harding administration and the Republicans were seen associated with prosperity , prominent Democrats were reticent of running for president in 1924 . Due to his untimely demise , Warren G . Harding is among the relatively few American Presidents who have been honored on a U . S . postage stamp more than the usual two times . Harding has appeared on US postage for a total of five issues , more than that of most Presidents . Harding ' s election provided a short burst of popularity for the name Warren .