Warren G. Harding lived in rural Ohio all his life, except when politics, such as the presidency, required him elsewhere. As a young man, he bought the newspaper, the Marion Star, and turned it into a successful publication. In 1899, he was elected to the Ohio Senate, spent four years there, and was then elected lieutenant governor. He was defeated for governor in 1910 but was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1914. When Harding was running for president, he was considered a long shot until his support began to grow. He defeated his counterpart in a landslide and became the next president of the United States of America.
Harding made many smart choices while recruiting people to his Cabinet, including Andrew Mellon to the Treasury, and Herbert Hoover at the Department of Commerce. One major accomplishment that came out of Harding's presidency was that he called for a meeting of the world's most powerful naval units and arranged for a contract of sorts to be drafted, stating that there would be restrictions on the Navy for a period of ten years.
Harding was a well-liked president for some time until his Cabinet members started getting arrested and for corruption within the White House. Harding was criticized for his picks in Cabinet members, and his reputation as a good president was shattered. He died from a heart attack while in San Francisco and the position of President was shifted to his vice president, Calvin Coolidge, who we will talk about tomorrow on Wednesday, May 13th.
Fun Facts:
- He was the first president to talk on the radio.
- He wore size nineteen shoes, making him the president with the largest shoe size.
- He liked to play poker and once lost a set of White House fine China during a round.
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