QUICK FACTS

Nickname: Wobbly Warren

Years in office: 1921–1923

Political party: Republican

Birthday: November 2, 1865

Official presidential portrait of Warren G. Harding

by Edmund Hodgson Smart, 1923

Image from the Library of Congress, Harris & Ewing photograph collection

Warren G. Harding was not a great president. He is often mentioned on a short list of the worst US presidents. According to the Miller Center, he was more concerned with being well-liked than being a good leader. He may not have enjoyed leading the nation, but the man did enjoy golfing.

In the election of 1920 Warren G. Harding promised the American people a “return to normalcy.” World War I was over and the economy was struggling. Harding campaigned on higher tariffs, immigration controls, and isolationism. The Democrats behind James Cox (and Franklin D. Roosevelt in the second spot) continued to push for progressive reforms and international involvement.

The handsome senator from Ohio was elected in this first election that women across the country could vote.

HOME & LIBRARY

Marion, OH

GRAVESITE

Marion, OH

BOOKS

Davis, Kenneth C., and Pedro Martin. Don’t Know Much about the Presidents. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2014.

DeGregorio, William A., and Aaron Jaffe. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, Inc., 2017.

Kane, Joseph Nathan, and Janet Podell. Facts about the Presidents: A Compilation of Biographical and Historical Information. New York: H.W. Wilson, 2009.

WEBSITES

Encyclopedia Britannica, britannica.com

Library of Congress, loc.gov

Miller Center, University of Virginia, millercenter.org/the-presidency

The White House, whitehouse.gov

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