Warren Gamaliel Harding grew up on a farm in Caledonia, Ohio. Both of his parents were physicians. As a boy, Harding studied in a one-room schoolhouse in Blooming Grove, Ohio. In 1880, he enrolled in Ohio Central College in Iberia. He edited the Iberia Spectator, the campus newspaper. Harding graduated from college in 1882.
After college, Harding taught briefly at a public school near Marion, Ohio. In 1883, he worked as a reporter for the Marion Mirror. The next year, he and two associates founded the Star Publishing Company. They purchased the Marion Star for $300. In 1886, Harding bought out his partners. He became the newspaper's sole owner.
By 1892, Harding was a successful newspaper publisher. He decided to enter politics. Local Republicans nominated him for county auditor. He lost the race. In 1900, Harding was elected to the Ohio state senate. While serving in the legislature, he met Harry Daugherty. Daugherty was an important power broker in Ohio politics. He later said he thought Harding could become president when they first met.
According to legend, Daugherty took control of Harding's political career. In 1903, Harding was elected lieutenant governor of Ohio. (Daugherty may have exaggerated his role in building Harding's career. He outlived Harding long enough to publicize his version of events.) In 1910, Harding ran for governor of Ohio. He lost the governor's race. But he won new contacts in the Republican Party. In 1912, Harding was selected to renominate President WILLIAM TAFT at the Republican Convention.
In 1914, Harding ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate. His opponent in the general election was Timothy Hogan. Hogan was Ohio's attorney general. He was also a Catholic. The Republicans smeared Hogan because of his religion. Harding never joined in the religious attacks. But he never disavowed them. Harding took his seat in the Senate in 1915.
As a senator, Harding had one of the worst attendance records in the institution's history. He missed nearly two-thirds of his roll-call votes. He was absent when the Senate approved the Nineteenth Amendment. (It gave women the right to vote.) Still, public records showed Harding favoring the amendment. Through a procedure called pairing, his absentee "aye" vote was recorded with that of another senator.
Harding was elected president in 1920. By 1923, his administration was plagued with scandals. Misconduct was widespread in his administration. Harding was never personally accused of corruption or similar crimes. But his reputation never recovered from the scandals. Most historians rate him as the worst president in U.S. history.
On June 20, 1923, Harding left Washington on a national speaking tour. The scandals in his administration had not been publicized. But he knew he needed to build public support. In late July, Harding checked into the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. He contracted pneumonia. He may also have suffered a stroke. On August 2, 1923, Harding died at the Palace Hotel. Warren Harding is buried at the Harding Memorial in Marion, Ohio.
