10 Interesting Facts about Warren G. Harding

These following facts about Warren G. Harding will probably make you feel more admired about him. If you want to know what kind of person he was during his life, or what activity he did, or anything else, then this article would be really interesting for you to read. As you know, Warren G. Harding was the 29th President of the United States, 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. To get to know more about him, here are the other facts about Warren G. Harding you may consider interesting.

Facts about Warren G. Harding 1: Early Life

Warren G. Harding was born in rural Blooming Grove, Ohio, in 1865.   His parents had the unusual 19th century distinction of both being doctors – his mother had been granted a medical license because of her work as a midwife.  The family eventually moved to nearby Caledonia, Ohio, where they bought, and began operating, the local newspaper.

Facts about Warren G. Harding 2: School Activity

An advanced student, Harding earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1882 at the age of 17.  He was known as an accomplished cornet player while in school, and also edited the school’s newspaper.

Facts about Warren G. Harding 3: Marion Daily Star

After college, Harding raised money to purchase a newspaper in Marion, Ohio, which he built into a successful publication, respected state-wide.  The Marion Daily Star is still published to this day (as the Marion Star).

Facts about Warren G. Harding 4: Amos Kling

Harding’s principle opponent in the newspaper world was Amos Kling, the financier of Marion’s most popular newspaper, the Marion Independent.  Competition between these two newspapers got so heated that one argument was, apparently, settled at gunpoint.

Facts about Warren G. Harding 5: Lifelong Republican

A lifelong Republican, Harding entered politics around the turn of the century, and served several terms in the Ohio legislature, before serving as Ohio’s lieutenant governor from 1904 to 1906.  He ran for governor in 1909, but lost.  During these years, he also continued to run his newspaper business, and eventually reconciled with his father-in-law and former nemesis.

Facts about Warren G. Harding 6: 1920 Campaign

During the 1920 campaign, Harding revolutionized political campaigning.  For the first time, newsreels and photo-ops became the norm in presidential campaigning, and campaign results were broadcast on the radio for the first time.  Harding brillaintly marketed his own quaint home in rural Ohio as his primary podium, instituting what he called a “front porch” campaign, in which he was routinely depicted in photographs on his front porch, and gave numerous speeches there to enormous audiences.

Facts about Warren G. Harding 7: African-American Rumors

Rumors of African-American ancestry dogged Harding throughout his life.  The rumors, apparently, had been around for a very long time, from even before Harding’s own birth.  During the 1920 election, the rumors came to the forefront of a smear campaign, and were published, though without much widespread effect.  Historical research into Harding’s family tree has never uncovered any African ancestry.

Facts about Warren G. Harding 8: Tax-less

As president, Harding made it his mission to reduce federal spending and cut taxes across the board.  He succeeded: by 1922, federal spending was only about half of what it had been in 1920, and taxes had been cut for every income level.

Facts about Warren G. Harding 9: Scandals

Harding’s accomplishments in office were largely overshadowed by a series of scandals, many of which did not fully come to light until after his time in office.  Harding’s primary involvement in most of these scandals was in his tendency to place friends and financial contributors into powerful government positions for which they were otherwise unqualified – and then turn a blind eye to how they operated.

Facts about Warren G. Harding 10: Death

As news began to leak out relating to various scandals in his Cabinet, Harding decided to take a long journey across the country to give a series of speeches, traveling as far away as Alaska.  His health noticeably declined on this trip, and on August 2, 1923, he collapsed and died while in conversation with his wife.

Those following facts about Warren G. Harding might make you feel more amazed about the his life. His life is really interesting. And also, since he took great responsibility to the whole America, he was really kind to people, yet really caring to each other, although he only served for a short time. Hope you found these Warren G. Harding facts really interesting and useful.