137-661: The Calvin Coolidge Memorial Bridge is a major crossing of the Connecticut River in Western Massachusetts , connecting the towns of Northampton and Hadley . The bridge carries Route 9 across the river, where it connects to Interstate 91 . The Calvin Coolidge Memorial Bridge is a five-span, single intersection Warren deck truss bridge with distinctive design on its granite-faced abutment pylons. Art Deco ornamentation on
274-552: A landslide to become the first sitting senator elected president. Harding appointed a number of respected figures to his cabinet , including Andrew Mellon at Treasury , Herbert Hoover at Commerce , and Charles Evans Hughes at the State Department . A major foreign policy achievement came with the Washington Naval Conference of 1921–1922, in which the world's major naval powers agreed on
411-602: A "Harding for President" campaign office in Washington (run by his confidant, Jess Smith ), and worked to manage a network of Harding friends and supporters, including Frank Scobey of Texas (clerk of the Ohio State Senate during Harding's years there). Harding worked to shore up his support through incessant letter-writing. Despite the candidate's work, according to Russell, "without Daugherty's Mephistophelean efforts, Harding would never have stumbled forward to
548-623: A Democrat in the White House, the party's leaders could not use patronage to get their way. Reporters deemed Harding unlikely to be nominated due to his poor showing in the primaries, and relegated him to a place among the dark horses . Harding, who like the other candidates was in Chicago supervising his campaign, had finished sixth in the final public opinion poll, behind the three main candidates as well as former Justice Hughes and Herbert Hoover, and only slightly ahead of Coolidge. After
685-491: A campaign of such sweetness and light as would have won the plaudits of the angels. It was calculated to offend nobody except Democrats." Although Harding did not attack Foraker, his supporters had no such scruples. Harding won the primary by 12,000 votes over Foraker. Read The Menace and get the dope, Go to the polls and beat the Pope. Slogan written on Ohio walls and fences, 1914 Harding's general election opponent
822-561: A candidate in his state senate district, Coolidge won reelection against his Democratic opponent by an increased margin. In the 1913 session, Coolidge enjoyed renowned success in arduously navigating to passage the Western Trolley Act, which connected Northampton with a dozen similar industrial communities in Western Massachusetts . Coolidge intended to retire after his second term as was the custom, but when
959-571: A close eye on "the Duke" and their money. Florence Harding became deeply involved in her husband's career, both at the Star and after he entered politics. Exhibiting her father's determination and business sense, she helped turn the Star into a profitable enterprise through her tight management of the paper's circulation department. She has been credited with helping Harding achieve more than he might have alone; some have suggested that she pushed him all
1096-550: A divorce, and she and Harding were courting, though who was pursuing whom is uncertain. The budding match snuffed out a truce between the Klings. Amos believed that the Hardings had African American blood , and was also offended by Harding's editorial stances. He started to spread rumors of Harding's supposed black heritage, and encouraged local businessmen to boycott Harding's business interests. When Harding found out what Kling
1233-434: A dying rag into a powerful small-town newspaper. Much of his success had to do with his good looks, affability, enthusiasm, and persistence, but he was also lucky. As Machiavelli once pointed out, cleverness will take a man far, but he cannot do without good fortune. The population of Marion grew from 4,000 in 1880 to twice that in 1890, and to 12,000 by 1900. This growth helped the Star , and Harding did his best to promote
1370-412: A failing newspaper, The Marion Star , the weakest of the growing city's three papers and its only daily. The 18-year-old Harding used the railroad pass that came with the paper to attend the 1884 Republican National Convention , where he hobnobbed with better-known journalists and supported the presidential nominee, former Secretary of State James G. Blaine . Harding returned from Chicago to find that
1507-476: A federal oath. This second oath-taking remained a secret until it was revealed by Harry M. Daugherty in 1932, and confirmed by Hoehling. When Hoehling confirmed Daugherty's story, he indicated that Daugherty, then serving as United States Attorney General , asked him to administer the oath without fanfare at the Willard Hotel . According to Hoehling, he did not question Daugherty's reason for requesting
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#17327880059611644-674: A fourth term, Coolidge announced his intention to run for governor. Coolidge was unopposed for the Republican nomination for Governor of Massachusetts in 1918 . He and his running mate, Channing Cox , a Boston lawyer and Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives , ran on the previous administration's record: fiscal conservatism , a vague opposition to Prohibition , support for women's suffrage, and support for American involvement in World War I . The issue of
1781-472: A friend of McKinley's, to run. Herrick was also better-placed to take votes away from the likely Democratic candidate, reforming Cleveland Mayor Tom L. Johnson . With little chance at the gubernatorial nomination, Harding sought nomination as lieutenant governor, and both Herrick and Harding were nominated by acclamation. Foraker and Hanna (who died of typhoid fever in February 1904) both campaigned for what
1918-556: A great-looking President he'd make." In early 1903, Harding announced he would run for Governor of Ohio , prompted by the withdrawal of the leading candidate, Congressman Charles W. F. Dick . Hanna and George Cox felt that Harding was not electable due to his work with Foraker—as the Progressive Era commenced, the public was starting to take a dimmer view of the trading of political favors and of bosses such as Cox. Accordingly, they persuaded Cleveland banker Myron T. Herrick ,
2055-541: A heart attack in San Francisco while on a speaking tour of the western United States. Vice President Coolidge was in Vermont visiting his family home , which had neither electricity nor a telephone, when he received word by messenger of Harding's death. Coolidge dressed, said a prayer, and came downstairs to greet the reporters who had assembled. His father, a notary public and justice of the peace , administered
2192-465: A lawyer. Coolidge followed the common practice of apprenticing with a local law firm, Hammond & Field, and reading law with them. John C. Hammond and Henry P. Field, both Amherst graduates, introduced Coolidge to practicing law in the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts . In 1897, Coolidge was admitted to the Massachusetts bar , becoming a country lawyer . With his savings and
2329-558: A little over a week later at the age of 16. The President never forgave himself for Calvin Jr's death. His eldest son John said it "hurt [Coolidge] terribly", and psychiatric biographer Robert E. Gilbert, author of The Tormented President: Calvin Coolidge, Death, and Clinical Depression , said that Coolidge "ceased to function as President after the death of his sixteen-year-old son". Gilbert explains in his book how Coolidge displayed all ten of
2466-521: A local weekly newspaper. At The Argus , Harding, from the age of 11, learned the basics of the newspaper business. In late 1879, at age 14, he enrolled at his father's alma mater — Ohio Central College in Iberia —where he proved an adept student. He and a friend put out a small newspaper, the Iberia Spectator , during their final year at Ohio Central, intended to appeal to both the college and
2603-478: A major speech against it. By then, Wilson had suffered a stroke while on a speaking tour. With an incapacitated president in the White House and less support in the country, the treaty was defeated. With most Progressives having rejoined the Republican Party, their former leader, Theodore Roosevelt, was deemed likely to make a third run for the White House in 1920, and was the overwhelming favorite for
2740-604: A naval limitations program that lasted a decade. Harding released political prisoners who had been arrested for their opposition to World War I . In 1923, Harding died of a heart attack in San Francisco while on a western tour, and was succeeded by Vice President Calvin Coolidge . Harding died as one of the most popular presidents in history. The subsequent exposure of scandals eroded his popular regard, as did revelations of extramarital affairs. Harding's interior secretary, Albert B. Fall , and his attorney general , Harry Daugherty , were each later tried for corruption in office; Fall
2877-404: A pickle." Coolidge and his wife, Grace, who was a great baseball fan, once attended a Washington Senators game and sat through all nine innings without saying a word, except once when he asked her the time. As president, Coolidge's reputation as a quiet man continued. "The words of a President have an enormous weight," he would later write, "and ought not to be used indiscriminately." Coolidge
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#17327880059613014-668: A policeman does not strike. That night and the next, there was sporadic violence and rioting in the unruly city. Peters, concerned about sympathy strikes by the firemen and others, called up some units of the Massachusetts National Guard stationed in the Boston area pursuant to an old and obscure legal authority, and relieved Curtis of duty. Coolidge, sensing the severity of circumstances were then in need of his intervention, conferred with Crane's operative, William Butler, and then acted. He called up more units of
3151-508: A premium upon concise and short speeches. On November 2, 1920, Harding and Coolidge were victorious in a landslide, winning more than 60 percent of the popular vote, including every state outside the South. They also won in Tennessee , the first time a Republican ticket had won a Southern state since Reconstruction . The U.S. vice-presidency did not carry many official duties, but Coolidge
3288-408: A quarter of a century she has borne with my infirmities and I have rejoiced in her graces". The Coolidges had two sons: John (1906–2000) and Calvin Jr. (1908–1924). On June 30, 1924, Calvin Jr. had played tennis with his brother on the White House tennis courts without putting on socks and developed a blister on one of his toes. The blister subsequently degenerated into sepsis . Calvin Jr. died
3425-428: A second oath-taking but assumed it was to resolve any doubt about whether the first swearing-in was valid. Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923)
3562-455: A small child, he was the eldest of eight children born to George Tryon Harding (usually known as Tryon) and Phoebe Elizabeth (née Dickerson) Harding. Phoebe was a state-licensed midwife . Tryon farmed and taught school near Mount Gilead . Through apprenticeship, study, and a year of medical school, Tryon became a doctor and started a small practice. Harding's first ancestor in the Americas
3699-529: A small inheritance from his grandfather, Coolidge opened his own law office in Northampton in 1898. He practiced commercial law, believing that he served his clients best by staying out of court. As his reputation as a hard-working and diligent attorney grew, local banks and other businesses began to retain his services. In 1903, Coolidge met Grace Goodhue , a graduate of the University of Vermont and
3836-553: A speech that according to Dean, "would resonate throughout the 1920 campaign and history." There, he said that "America's present need is not heroics, but healing; not nostrums, but normalcy; not revolution, but restoration." Dean notes, "Harding, more than the other aspirants, was reading the nation's pulse correctly." The 1920 Republican National Convention opened at the Chicago Coliseum on June 8, 1920, assembling delegates who were bitterly divided, most recently over
3973-476: A teacher at Northampton's Clarke School for the Deaf . They married on October 4, 1905, at 2:30 p.m. in a small ceremony which took place in the parlor of Grace's family's house, having overcome her mother's objections to the marriage. The newlyweds went on a honeymoon trip to Montreal , originally planned for two weeks but cut short by a week at Coolidge's request. After 25 years he wrote of Grace, "for almost
4110-458: A thief, who had been caught in the act by the family, started the rumor in an attempt at extortion or revenge. In 2015, genetic testing of Harding's descendants determined, with more than a 95% chance of accuracy, that he lacked sub-Saharan African forebears within four generations. In 1870, the Harding family, who were abolitionists , moved to Caledonia , where Tryon acquired The Argus ,
4247-530: A toll on his health. Five times between 1889 (when he was 23) and 1901, he spent time at the Battle Creek Sanitorium for reasons Sinclair described as "fatigue, overstrain, and nervous illnesses". Dean ties these visits to early occurrences of the heart ailment that would kill Harding in 1923. During one such absence from Marion, in 1894, the Star' s business manager quit. Florence Harding took his place. She became her husband's top assistant at
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4384-544: A young man, he bought The Marion Star and built it into a successful newspaper. Harding served in the Ohio State Senate from 1900 to 1904, and was lieutenant governor for two years. He was defeated for governor in 1910 , but was elected to the United States Senate in 1914 —the state's first direct election for that office. Harding ran for the Republican nomination for president in 1920, but
4521-450: Is in accordance with the law of service under which men are not so solicitous about what they shall get as they are about what they shall give. Yet people are entitled to the rewards of their industry. What they earn is theirs, no matter how small or how great. But the possession of property carries the obligation to use it in a larger service... At his father's urging after graduation, Coolidge moved to Northampton, Massachusetts , to become
4658-719: Is still much debate among historians as to the extent to which Coolidge's economic policies contributed to the onset of the Great Depression . John Calvin Coolidge Jr. was born on July 4, 1872, in Plymouth Notch , Vermont —the only U.S. president to be born on Independence Day . He was the elder of the two children of John Calvin Coolidge Sr. (1845–1926) and Victoria Josephine Moor (1846–1885). Although named for his father, from early childhood Coolidge
4795-445: Is the only U.S. president to have had full-time journalism experience. He became an ardent supporter of Governor Joseph B. Foraker , a Republican. Harding first came to know Florence Kling , five years older than he, as the daughter of a local banker and developer. Amos Kling was a man accustomed to getting his way, but Harding attacked him relentlessly in the paper. Amos involved Florence in all his affairs, taking her to work from
4932-471: Is without any foundation." Coolidge often seemed uncomfortable among fashionable Washington society; when asked why he continued to attend so many of their dinner parties, he replied, "Got to eat somewhere." Alice Roosevelt Longworth , a leading Republican wit, underscored Coolidge's silence and his dour personality: "When he wished he were elsewhere, he pursed his lips, folded his arms, and said nothing. He looked then precisely as though he had been weaned on
5069-543: The American Federation of Labor issued a charter to the Boston Police Union. Curtis declared the union's leaders were guilty of insubordination and would be relieved of duty, but indicated he would cancel their suspension if the union was dissolved by September 4. The mayor of Boston, Andrew Peters , convinced Curtis to delay his action for a few days, but with no results, and Curtis suspended
5206-658: The Boston police strike of 1919 thrust him into the national spotlight as a man of decisive action. During his presidency, he restored public confidence in the White House after the many scandals of the Harding administration . He signed into law the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 , which granted U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans, and oversaw a period of rapid and expansive economic growth known as
5343-475: The Brownsville Affair . Though Foraker had little chance of winning, he sought the Republican presidential nomination against his fellow Cincinnatian, Secretary of War William Howard Taft , who was Roosevelt's chosen successor. On January 6, 1908, Harding's Star endorsed Foraker and upbraided Roosevelt for trying to destroy the senator's career over a matter of conscience. On January 22, Harding in
5480-651: The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution . "Opinions and instructions do not outmatch the Constitution," he said in his veto message. "Against it, they are void." At the 1920 Republican National Convention , most of the delegates were selected by state party caucuses, not primaries. As such, the field was divided among many local favorites. Coolidge was one such candidate, and while he placed as high as sixth in
5617-667: The Espionage Act of 1917 , which restricted civil liberties, though he opposed the excess profits tax as anti-business. In May 1918, Harding, less enthusiastic about Wilson, opposed a bill to expand the president's powers. In the 1918 midterm congressional elections, held just before the armistice , Republicans narrowly took control of the Senate. Harding was appointed to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee . Wilson took no senators with him to
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5754-576: The Knights of Columbus to control Ohio. Harding did not attack Hogan (an old friend) on this or most other issues, but he did not denounce the nativist hatred for his opponent. Harding's conciliatory campaigning style aided him; one Harding friend deemed the candidate's stump speech during the 1914 fall campaign as "a rambling, high-sounding mixture of platitudes, patriotism, and pure nonsense". Dean notes, "Harding used his oratory to good effect; it got him elected, making as few enemies as possible in
5891-658: The Massachusetts Bay Colony during King Philip's War . Coolidge's mother was the daughter of Hiram Dunlap Moor, a Plymouth Notch farmer, and Abigail Franklin. Coolidge attended the Black River Academy and then St. Johnsbury Academy before enrolling at Amherst College , where he distinguished himself in the debating class. As a senior, he joined the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and graduated cum laude . While at Amherst, Coolidge
6028-596: The Paris Peace Conference , confident that he could force what became the Treaty of Versailles through the Senate by appealing to the people. When he returned with a single treaty establishing both peace and a League of Nations , the country was overwhelmingly on his side. Many senators disliked Article X of the League Covenant , that committed signatories to the defense of any member nation that
6165-709: The Republican National Committee (RNC). Both Foraker and Hanna supported Harding for state Senate in 1899; he gained the Republican nomination and was easily elected to a two-year term. Harding began his four years as a state senator as a political unknown; he ended them as one of the most popular figures in the Ohio Republican Party. He always appeared calm and displayed humility, characteristics that endeared him to fellow Republicans even as he passed them in his political rise. Legislative leaders consulted him on difficult problems. It
6302-494: The Star on the business side, maintaining her role until the Hardings moved to Washington in 1915. Her competence allowed Harding to travel to make speeches—his use of the free railroad pass increased greatly after his marriage. Florence Harding practiced strict economy and wrote of Harding, "he does well when he listens to me and poorly when he does not." In 1892, Harding traveled to Washington, where he met Democratic Nebraska Congressman William Jennings Bryan , and listened to
6439-469: The Star reversed course and declared for Taft, deeming Foraker defeated. According to Sinclair, Harding's change to Taft "was not ... because he saw the light but because he felt the heat". Jumping on the Taft bandwagon allowed Harding to survive his patron's disaster—Foraker failed to gain the presidential nomination, and was defeated for a third term as senator. Also helpful in saving Harding's career
6576-825: The Vermont General Assembly . When Coolidge was 12 years old, his chronically ill mother died at the age of 39, perhaps from tuberculosis . His younger sister, Abigail Grace Coolidge (1875–1890), died at the age of 15, probably of appendicitis, when Coolidge was 18. Coolidge's father married a Plymouth schoolteacher in 1891, and lived to the age of 80. Coolidge's family had deep roots in New England . His earliest American ancestor, John Coolidge emigrated from Cottenham , Cambridgeshire , England , around 1630 and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts . Coolidge's great-great-grandfather, also named John Coolidge,
6713-504: The direct election of Senators . While in Boston, Coolidge became an ally, and then a liegeman, of then U.S. Senator Winthrop Murray Crane who controlled the western faction of the Massachusetts Republican Party; Crane's party rival in the east of the commonwealth was U.S. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge . Coolidge forged another key strategic alliance with Guy Currier , who had served in both state houses and had
6850-601: The oath of office in the family's parlor by the light of a kerosene lamp at 2:47 a.m. on August 3, 1923, whereupon the new President of the United States returned to bed. Coolidge returned to Washington the next day, and was sworn in again by Justice Adolph A. Hoehling Jr. of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia , to forestall any questions about the authority of a state official to administer
6987-437: The president of the state senate , Levi H. Greenwood , considered running for lieutenant governor, Coolidge decided to run again for the Senate in the hopes of being elected as its presiding officer. Although Greenwood later decided to run for reelection to the Senate, he was defeated primarily due to his opposition to women's suffrage; Coolidge was in favor of the women's vote, won his re-election, and with Crane's help, assumed
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#17327880059617124-427: The " Roaring Twenties ", leaving office with considerable popularity. He was known for his hands-off governing approach and pro-business stances; biographer Claude Fuess wrote: "He embodied the spirit and hopes of the middle class, could interpret their longings and express their opinions. That he did represent the genius of the average is the most convincing proof of his strength." Scholars have ranked Coolidge in
7261-516: The "Boy Orator of the Platte" speak on the floor of the House of Representatives . Harding traveled to Chicago's Columbian Exposition in 1893. Both visits were without Florence. Democrats generally won Marion County's offices; when Harding ran for auditor in 1895, he lost, but did better than expected. The following year, Harding was one of many orators who spoke across Ohio as part of the campaign of
7398-464: The 29th vice president from 1921 to 1923 and as the 48th governor of Massachusetts from 1919 to 1921. Elected vice president in 1920 , he succeeded to the presidency upon the sudden death of President Warren G. Harding in August 1923. Elected in his own right in 1924 , Coolidge gained a reputation as a small-government conservative with a taciturn personality and dry sense of humor that earned him
7535-474: The Art Deco style, measuring 15 by 27 feet at the base. On the northwest and southeast pylons are bronze doors that provide access to small rooms. The 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 -foot-high (1.1 m) welded steel Art Deco bridge rail is mounted at the back of the sidewalk on the north side of the bridge and on the bridge parapet on the south side where there is no sidewalk. It is a weathered green color. Integral to
7672-776: The Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt , for vice president. The question of the United States joining the League of Nations was a major issue in the campaign, as was the unfinished legacy of Progressivism . Harding ran a " front-porch" campaign from his home in Marion, Ohio , but Coolidge took to the campaign trail in the Upper South , New York, and New England – his audiences carefully limited to those familiar with Coolidge and those placing
7809-638: The Democratic candidate, New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson , to be elected. Congressman Theodore Burton had been elected as senator by the state legislature in Foraker's place in 1909, and announced that he would seek a second term in the 1914 elections. By this time, the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution had been ratified, giving the people the right to elect senators, and Ohio had instituted primary elections for
7946-601: The Hampshire County area retired and successfully encouraged Coolidge to run for his seat for the 1912 session; Coolidge defeated his Democratic opponent by a large margin. At the start of that term, he became chairman of a committee to arbitrate the " Bread and Roses " strike by the workers of the American Woolen Company in Lawrence, Massachusetts . After two tense months, the company agreed to
8083-582: The National Guard, restored Curtis to office, and took personal control of the police force. Curtis proclaimed that all of the strikers were fired from their jobs, and Coolidge called for a new police force to be recruited. That night Coolidge received a telegram from AFL leader Samuel Gompers . "Whatever disorder has occurred", Gompers wrote, "is due to Curtis's order in which the right of the policemen has been denied…" Coolidge publicly answered Gompers's telegram, denying any justification whatsoever for
8220-476: The Ohio Senate, Harding came to be widely liked. On two issues, women's suffrage , and the prohibition of alcohol , where picking the wrong side would have damaged his presidential prospects in 1920, he prospered by taking nuanced positions. As senator-elect, he indicated that he could not support votes for women until Ohio did. Increased support for suffrage there and among Senate Republicans meant that by
8357-470: The Republican nomination. These plans ended when Roosevelt suddenly died on January 6, 1919. A number of candidates quickly emerged, including General Leonard Wood , Illinois Governor Frank Lowden , California Senator Hiram Johnson , and a host of relatively minor possibilities such as Herbert Hoover (renowned for his World War I relief work), Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge , and General John J. Pershing . Harding, while he wanted to be president,
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#17327880059618494-475: The Republican presidential candidate, that state's former governor, William McKinley . According to Dean, "while working for McKinley [Harding] began making a name for himself through Ohio". Harding wished to try again for elective office. Though a longtime admirer of Foraker (by then a U.S. senator), he had been careful to maintain good relations with the party faction led by the state's other U.S. senator, Mark Hanna , McKinley's political manager and chairman of
8631-431: The Senate by an increased margin in the 1914 elections, Coolidge was reelected unanimously to be President of the Senate. Coolidge's supporters, led by fellow Amherst alumnus Frank Stearns , encouraged him again to run for lieutenant governor. Stearns, an executive with the Boston department store R. H. Stearns, became another key ally, and began a publicity campaign on Coolidge's behalf before he announced his candidacy at
8768-508: The Senate, but Florence Harding grabbed the phone from his hand, "Warren Harding, what are you doing? Give up? Not until the convention is over. Think of your friends in Ohio!" On learning that Daugherty had left the phone line, the future First Lady retorted, "Well, you tell Harry Daugherty for me that we're in this fight until Hell freezes over." After he recovered from the shock of the poor results, Harding traveled to Boston, where he delivered
8905-471: The amendment, assuring the support of the Anti-Saloon League . Harding, as a politician respected by both Republicans and Progressives , was asked to be temporary chairman of the 1916 Republican National Convention and to deliver the keynote address . He urged delegates to stand as a united party. The convention nominated Justice Charles Evans Hughes . Harding reached out to Roosevelt once
9042-543: The bridge is known as Bridge St. in Northampton (eastbound) and Russell St. in Hadley (westbound). Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr. / ˈ k uː l ɪ dʒ / KOOL -ij ; July 4, 1872 – January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States , serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican lawyer from Massachusetts , he previously served as
9179-451: The candidate went on to the next state, Indiana, before the April 27 Ohio primary. Harding carried Ohio by only 15,000 votes over Wood, taking less than half the total vote, and won only 39 of 48 delegates. In Indiana, Harding finished fourth, with less than ten percent of the vote, and failed to win a single delegate. He was willing to give up and have Daugherty file his re-election papers for
9316-445: The city, purchasing stock in many local enterprises. A few of these turned out badly, but he was generally successful as an investor, leaving an estate of $ 850,000 in 1923 (equivalent to $ 15.2 million in 2023). According to Harding biographer John Dean , Harding's "civic influence was that of an activist who used his editorial page to effectively keep his nose—and a prodding voice—in all the town's public business". To date, Harding
9453-471: The convention dealt with other matters, the nominations for president opened on the morning of Friday, June 11. Harding had asked Willis to place his name in nomination, and the former governor responded with a speech popular among the delegates, both for its folksiness and for its brevity in the intense Chicago heat. Reporter Mark Sullivan, who was present, called it a splendid combination of "oratory, grand opera, and hog calling ." Willis confided, leaning over
9590-408: The defeated candidate did not hold the loss against him. Despite the growing rift between them, both President Taft and former president Roosevelt came to Ohio to campaign for Harding, but their quarrels split the Republican Party and helped assure Harding's defeat. The party split grew, and in 1912, Taft and Roosevelt were rivals for the Republican nomination. The 1912 Republican National Convention
9727-517: The end of the 1915 legislative session. Coolidge entered the primary election for lieutenant governor and was nominated to run alongside gubernatorial candidate Samuel W. McCall . Coolidge was the leading vote-getter in the Republican primary, and balanced the Republican ticket by adding a western presence to McCall's eastern base of support. McCall and Coolidge won the 1915 election to their respective one-year terms, with Coolidge defeating his opponent by more than 50,000 votes. In Massachusetts,
9864-615: The former president declined the 1916 Progressive nomination , a refusal that effectively scuttled that party. In the November 1916 presidential election , despite increasing Republican unity, Hughes was narrowly defeated by Wilson. Harding spoke and voted in favor of the resolution of war requested by Wilson in April 1917 that plunged the United States into World War I. In August, Harding argued for giving Wilson almost dictatorial powers, stating that democracy had little place in time of war. Harding voted for most war legislation, including
10001-467: The incumbent Democrat retired. He was well liked in the town, and defeated his challenger by a vote of 1,597 to 1,409. During his first term (1910 to 1911), he increased teachers' salaries and retired some of the city's debt while still managing to effect a slight tax decrease. He was renominated in 1911, and defeated the same opponent by a slightly larger margin. In 1911, the State Senator for
10138-794: The lamps was discontinued as color-corrected light sources became available. In 2001, the Massachusetts Highway Department began a major improvement of the Coolidge Bridge, that cost a total of $ 32 million which included: In 2007 the Massachusetts Historical Commission determined that the Calvin Coolidge Bridge was not eligible for individual listing in the National Register of Historic Places but
10275-579: The lieutenant governor does not preside over the state Senate, as is the case in many other states; nevertheless, as lieutenant governor, Coolidge was a deputy governor functioning as an administrative inspector and was a member of the governor's council. He was also chairman of the finance committee and the pardons committee. As a full-time elected official, Coolidge discontinued his law practice in 1916, though his family continued to live in Northampton. McCall and Coolidge were both reelected in 1916 and again in 1917. When McCall decided that he would not stand for
10412-533: The local Republican committee nominated Coolidge for election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives . He won a close victory over the incumbent Democrat, and reported to Boston for the 1907 session of the Massachusetts General Court . In his freshman term, Coolidge served on minor committees and, although he usually voted with the party, was known as a Progressive Republican , voting in favor of such measures as women's suffrage and
10549-494: The lower half of U.S. presidents. He gains nearly universal praise for his stalwart support of racial equality during a period of heightened racial tension in the nation, and is highly praised by advocates of smaller government and laissez-faire economics; supporters of an active central government generally view him far less favorably. His critics argue that he failed to use the country's economic boom to help struggling farmers and workers in other flailing industries, and there
10686-426: The many young Marionites who had left and enjoyed success elsewhere, while suggesting that the man, once the "pride of the school", who had remained behind and become a janitor, was "the happiest one of the lot". Upon graduating, Harding had stints as a teacher and as an insurance man, and made a brief attempt at studying law. He then raised $ 300 (equivalent to $ 9,800 in 2023) in partnership with others to purchase
10823-476: The most crucial to Harding was Ohio. Harding had to have some loyalists at the convention to have any chance of nomination, and the Wood campaign hoped to knock Harding out of the race by taking Ohio. Wood campaigned in the state, and his supporter, Procter, spent large sums; Harding spoke in the non-confrontational style he had adopted in 1914. Harding and Daugherty were so confident of sweeping Ohio's 48 delegates that
10960-408: The nation and some of Coolidge's speeches were published in book form. He faced the same opponent as in 1918, Richard Long, but this time Coolidge defeated him by 125,101 votes, more than seven times his margin of victory from a year earlier. His actions in the police strike, combined with the massive electoral victory, led to suggestions that Coolidge run for president in 1920. By the time Coolidge
11097-465: The nation had seen a rising star. Although he usually acted with deliberation, the Boston police strike gave him a national reputation as a decisive leader, and as a strict enforcer of law and order. Coolidge and Cox were renominated for their respective offices in 1919 . By this time Coolidge's supporters (especially Stearns) had publicized his actions in the Police Strike around the state and
11234-445: The nickname "Silent Cal". His widespread popularity enabled him to run for a second full term, but Coolidge chose not to run again in 1928 , remarking that ten years as president would be "longer than any other man has had it—too long!" During his gubernatorial career, Coolidge ran on the record of fiscal conservatism , strong support for women's suffrage , and vague opposition to Prohibition . His prompt and effective response to
11371-559: The nomination." America's present need is not heroics, but healing; not nostrums, but normalcy; not revolution, but restoration; not agitation, but adjustment; not surgery, but serenity; not the dramatic, but the dispassionate; not experiment, but equipoise; not submergence in internationality, but sustainment in triumphant nationality. Warren G. Harding, speech before the Home Market Club, Boston, May 14, 1920 There were only 16 presidential primary states in 1920, of which
11508-469: The normal reward for party service in the days of Hanna." Soon after Harding's initial election as senator, he met Harry M. Daugherty , who would take a major role in his political career. A perennial candidate for office who served two terms in the state House of Representatives in the early 1890s, Daugherty had become a political fixer and lobbyist in the state capital of Columbus. After first meeting and talking with Harding, Daugherty commented, "Gee, what
11645-444: The office. Foraker and former congressman Ralph D. Cole also entered the Republican primary. When Burton withdrew, Foraker became the favorite, but his Old Guard Republicanism was deemed outdated, and Harding was urged to enter the race. Daugherty claimed credit for persuading Harding to run: "I found him like a turtle sunning himself on a log, and I pushed him into the water." According to Harding biographer Randolph Downes, "he put on
11782-432: The podium railing, "Say, boys—and girls too—why not name Warren Harding?" The laughter and applause that followed created a warm feeling for Harding. I don't expect Senator Harding to be nominated on the first, second, or third ballots, but I think we can well afford to take chances that about eleven minutes after two o'clock on Friday morning at the convention, when fifteen or twenty men, somewhat weary, are sitting around
11919-566: The presidency of a closely divided Senate. After his election in January 1914, Coolidge delivered a published and frequently quoted speech entitled Have Faith in Massachusetts , which summarized his philosophy of government. Coolidge's speech was well received, and he attracted some admirers on its account; towards the end of the term, many of them were proposing his name for nomination to lieutenant governor. After winning reelection to
12056-517: The process." Harding won by over 100,000 votes in a landslide that also swept into office a Republican governor, Frank B. Willis . When Harding joined the U.S. Senate, the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress , and were led by President Wilson. As a junior senator in the minority, Harding received unimportant committee assignments, but carried out those duties assiduously. He was a safe, conservative, Republican vote. As during his time in
12193-411: The progressive faction of the party, and Lowden, who had an independent streak, was deemed little better. Harding was far more acceptable to the "Old Guard" leaders of the party. Daugherty, who became Harding's campaign manager, was sure none of the other candidates could garner a majority. His strategy was to make Harding an acceptable choice to delegates once the leaders faltered. Daugherty established
12330-517: The pylons includes carved eagles and incised carved lettering. The bridge, a replacement of a previous structure destroyed in the 1936 flood, was funded under the Hayden Cartwright Act , one of the numerous federal aid programs designed to provide construction jobs during the Great Depression . It was designed by W & L Engineering Co. in conjunction with Maurice A. Reidy as consultant and Desmond & Lord as architects. The bridge
12467-407: The rail are light standard posts supporting cobra head luminaires. The cobra head luminaires replaced the original low-pressure sodium lamp fixtures developed by General Electric . These lamps were based on a European model and introduced to the U.S. market in 1933. However, the yellow/orange, monochromatic light produced by the luminaire ultimately became unpopular with the motoring public, and use of
12604-427: The results of a Senate investigation into campaign spending, which had just been released. That report found that Wood had spent $ 1.8 million (equivalent to $ 27.38 million in 2023), lending substance to Johnson's claims that Wood was trying to buy the presidency. Some of the $ 600,000 that Lowden had spent had wound up in the pockets of two convention delegates. Johnson had spent $ 194,000, and Harding $ 113,000. Johnson
12741-560: The sheriff had reclaimed the paper. During the election campaign, Harding worked for the Marion Democratic Mirror and was annoyed at having to praise the Democratic presidential nominee, New York Governor Grover Cleveland , who won the election . Afterward, with his father's financial help, Harding gained ownership of the paper. Through the later years of the 1880s, Harding built the Star . The city of Marion tended to vote Republican (as did Ohio), but Marion County
12878-494: The social distinction, wealth, personal charm and broad circle of friends which Coolidge lacked, and which would have a lasting impact on his political career. In 1907, he was elected to a second term, and in the 1908 session Coolidge was more outspoken, though not in a leadership position. Instead of vying for another term in the State House , Coolidge returned home to his growing family and ran for mayor of Northampton when
13015-481: The state Senate allowed him to increase his growing network of political contacts. Harding and others envisioned a successful gubernatorial run in 1905, but Herrick refused to stand aside. In early 1905, Harding announced he would accept nomination as governor if offered, but faced with the anger of leaders such as Cox, Foraker and Dick (Hanna's replacement in the Senate), announced he would seek no office in 1905. Herrick
13152-583: The strike – and his response launched him into the national consciousness. Newspapers across the nation picked up on Coolidge's statement and he became the newest hero to opponents of the strike. Amid of the First Red Scare , many Americans were terrified of the spread of communist revolutions, like those that had taken place in Russia , Hungary , and Germany . While Coolidge had lost some friends among organized labor, conservatives across
13289-788: The symptoms listed by the American Psychiatric Association as evidence of major depressive disorder following Calvin Jr.'s sudden death. John later became a railroad executive, helped to start the Coolidge Foundation, and was instrumental in creating the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site . Coolidge was frugal, and when it came to securing a home, he insisted upon renting. He and his wife attended Northampton's Edwards Congregational Church before and after his presidency. The Republican Party
13426-486: The tax rates the same, while trimming $ 4 million from expenditures, thus allowing the state to retire some of its debt. Coolidge also wielded the veto pen as governor. His most publicized veto prevented an increase in legislators' pay by 50%. Although he was personally opposed to Prohibition, he vetoed a bill in May 1920 that would have allowed the sale of beer or wine of 2.75% alcohol or less , in Massachusetts in violation of
13563-481: The time Congress voted on the issue, Harding was a firm supporter. Harding, who drank, initially voted against banning alcohol. He voted for the Eighteenth Amendment , which imposed prohibition, after successfully moving to modify it by placing a time limit on ratification, which was expected to kill it. Once it was ratified anyway, Harding voted to override Wilson's veto of the Volstead Bill , which implemented
13700-428: The time she could walk. As hard-headed as her father, Florence came into conflict with him after returning from music college. After she eloped with Pete deWolfe, and returned to Marion without deWolfe and with an infant called Marshall , Amos agreed to raise the boy, but would not support Florence, who made a living as a piano teacher. One of her students was Harding's sister Charity. By 1886, Florence Kling had obtained
13837-522: The town. During his final year, the Harding family moved to Marion , about 6 miles (10 km) from Caledonia, and when he graduated in 1882, he joined them there. In Harding's youth, most of the U.S. population still lived on farms and in small towns. Harding spent much of his life in Marion, a small city in rural central Ohio, and became closely associated with it. When he rose to high office, he made clear his love of Marion and its way of life, telling of
13974-434: The union leaders on September 8. The following day, about three-quarters of the policemen in Boston went on strike. Coolidge, tacitly but fully in support of Curtis' position, closely monitored the situation but initially deferred to the local authorities. He anticipated that only a resulting measure of lawlessness could sufficiently prompt the public to understand and appreciate the controlling principle – that
14111-508: The voting, the powerful party bosses running the convention, primarily the party's U.S. Senators, never considered him seriously. After ten ballots, the bosses and then the delegates settled on Senator Warren G. Harding of Ohio as their nominee for president. When the time came to select a vice presidential nominee, the bosses also made and announced their decision on whom they wanted – Sen. Irvine Lenroot of Wisconsin – and then prematurely departed after his name
14248-532: The war proved divisive, especially among Irish and German Americans . Coolidge was elected by a margin of 16,773 votes over his opponent, Richard H. Long , in the smallest margin of victory of any of his statewide campaigns. In 1919, in reaction to a plan of the policemen of the Boston Police Department to register with a union , Police Commissioner Edwin U. Curtis announced that such an act would not be tolerated. In August of that year,
14385-413: The way to the White House. Soon after purchasing the Star , Harding turned his attention to politics, supporting Foraker in his first successful bid for governor in 1885 . Foraker was part of the war generation that challenged older Ohio Republicans, such as Senator John Sherman , for control of state politics. Harding, always a party loyalist, supported Foraker in the complex internecine warfare that
14522-422: The workers' demands, in a settlement proposed by the committee. A major issue affecting Massachusetts Republicans that year was the party split between the progressive wing, which favored Theodore Roosevelt , and the conservative wing, which favored William Howard Taft . Although he favored some progressive measures, Coolidge refused to leave the Republican party. When the new Progressive Party declined to run
14659-548: Was Democratic. Accordingly, Harding adopted a tempered editorial stance, declaring the daily Star nonpartisan and circulating a weekly edition that was moderately Republican. This policy attracted advertisers and put the town's Republican weekly out of business. According to his biographer, Andrew Sinclair: The success of Harding with the Star was certainly in the model of Horatio Alger . He started with nothing, and through working, stalling, bluffing, withholding payments, borrowing back wages, boasting, and manipulating, he turned
14796-421: Was Ohio Attorney General Timothy Hogan , who had risen to statewide office despite widespread prejudice against Roman Catholics in rural areas. In 1914, the start of World War I and the prospect of a Catholic senator from Ohio increased nativist sentiment. Propaganda sheets with names like The Menace and The Defender contained warnings that Hogan was the vanguard in a plot led by Pope Benedict XV through
14933-426: Was Ohio Republican politics. Harding was willing to tolerate Democrats as necessary to a two-party system , but had only contempt for those who bolted the Republican Party to join third-party movements. He was a delegate to the Republican state convention in 1888, at the age of 22, representing Marion County, and would be elected a delegate in most years until becoming president. Harding's success as an editor took
15070-468: Was Richard Harding, who arrived from England to Massachusetts Bay around 1624. Harding also had ancestors from Wales and Scotland, and some of his maternal ancestors were Dutch, including the wealthy Van Kirk family. It was rumored by a political opponent in Blooming Grove that one of Harding's great-grandmothers was African American . His great-great-grandfather Amos Harding claimed that
15207-502: Was addressed by his middle name. The name Calvin was used in multiple generations of the Coolidge family, apparently selected in honor of John Calvin , the Protestant Reformer . Coolidge Senior engaged in many occupations and developed a statewide reputation as a prosperous farmer, storekeeper, and public servant. He held various local offices, including justice of the peace and tax collector and served in both houses of
15344-865: Was an American military officer in the Revolutionary War and one of the first selectmen of the town of Plymouth. His grandfather Calvin Galusha Coolidge served in the Vermont House of Representatives. His cousin Park Pollard was a businessman in Cavendish, Vermont and the longtime chair of the Vermont Democratic Party. Coolidge was also a descendant of Samuel Appleton , who settled in Ipswich and led
15481-478: Was as much motivated in entering the race by his desire to keep control of Ohio Republican politics, enabling his re-election to the Senate in 1920. Among those coveting Harding's seat were former governor Willis (he had been defeated by James M. Cox in 1916) and Colonel William Cooper Procter (head of Procter & Gamble ). On December 17, 1919, Harding made a low-key announcement of his presidential candidacy. Leading Republicans disliked Wood and Johnson, both of
15618-623: Was attacked, seeing it as forcing the United States to war without the assent of Congress. Harding was one of 39 senators who signed a round-robin letter opposing the League. When Wilson invited the Foreign Relations Committee to the White House to informally discuss the treaty, Harding ably questioned Wilson about Article X; the president evaded his inquiries. The Senate debated Versailles in September 1919, and Harding made
15755-625: Was aware of his stiff reputation; indeed, he cultivated it. "I think the American people want a solemn ass as a President," he once told Ethel Barrymore , "and I think I will go along with them." Some historians suggest that Coolidge's image was created deliberately as a campaign tactic, while others believe his withdrawn and quiet behavior to be natural, deepening after the death of his son in 1924. Dorothy Parker , upon learning that Coolidge had died, reportedly remarked, "How can they tell?" On August 2, 1923, President Harding died unexpectedly from
15892-489: Was bitterly divided. At Taft's request, Harding gave a speech nominating the president, but the angry delegates were not receptive to Harding's oratory. Taft was renominated, but Roosevelt supporters bolted the party. Harding, as a loyal Republican, supported Taft. The Republican vote was split between Taft, the party's official candidate, and Roosevelt, running under the label of the Progressive Party . This allowed
16029-524: Was built by T. Stuart & Sons. The bridge was named as a memorial to President Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933), a longtime resident and former mayor of Northampton. Coolidge was elected to the State Senate and the governorship of Massachusetts before being elected President of the United States . A bronze memorial plaque of Calvin Coolidge is mounted on the northeast and southwest pylons. The bridge features large, distinctive granite-faced pylons in
16166-486: Was chosen City Solicitor by the City Council. He was elected for a one-year term in 1900, and reelected in 1901. This position gave Coolidge more experience as a lawyer and paid a salary of $ 600 (equivalent to $ 21,974 in 2023). In 1902, the city council selected a Democrat for city solicitor, and Coolidge returned to private practice. Soon thereafter, however, the clerk of courts for the county died, and Coolidge
16303-438: Was chosen to replace him. The position paid well, but it barred him from practicing law, so he remained at the job for only one year. In 1904, Coolidge suffered his sole defeat at the ballot box, losing an election to the Northampton school board . When told that some of his neighbors voted against him because he had no children in the schools he would govern, the recently married Coolidge replied, "Might give me time!" In 1906,
16440-434: Was considered a long shot before the convention . When the leading candidates could not garner a majority, and the convention deadlocked, support for Harding increased, and he was nominated on the tenth ballot. He conducted a front porch campaign , remaining mostly in Marion and allowing people to come to him. He promised a return to normalcy of the pre– World War I period, and defeated Democratic nominee James M. Cox in
16577-525: Was convicted while Daugherty was not, and these trials greatly damaged Harding's posthumous reputation. In historical rankings of U.S. presidents during the decades after his term in office, Harding was often rated among the worst. In the subsequent decades, some historians have begun to reassess the conventional views of Harding's historical record in office. Warren Harding was born on November 2, 1865, in Blooming Grove, Ohio . Nicknamed "Winnie" as
16714-572: Was deemed to be behind the inquiry, and the rage of the Lowden and Wood factions put an end to any possible compromise among the frontrunners. Of the almost 1,000 delegates, 27 were women—the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution , guaranteeing women the vote, was within one state of ratification, and would pass before the end of August. The convention had no boss, most uninstructed delegates voted as they pleased, and with
16851-480: Was defeated, but his new running mate, Andrew L. Harris , was elected, and succeeded as governor after five months in office on the death of Democrat John M. Pattison . One Republican official wrote to Harding, "Aren't you sorry Dick wouldn't let you run for Lieutenant Governor?" In addition to helping pick a president, Ohio voters in 1908 were to choose the legislators who would decide whether to re-elect Foraker. The senator had quarreled with President Roosevelt over
16988-518: Was doing, he warned Kling "that he would beat the tar out of the little man if he didn't cease." The Hardings married on July 8, 1891, at their new home on Mount Vernon Avenue in Marion, which they had designed together in the Queen Anne style . The marriage produced no children. Harding affectionately called his wife "the Duchess" for a character in a serial from The New York Sun who kept
17125-737: Was dominant in New England at the time, and Coolidge followed the example of Hammond and Field by becoming active in local politics. In 1896, Coolidge campaigned for Republican presidential candidate William McKinley , and was selected to be a member of the Republican City Committee the next year. In 1898, he won election to the City Council of Northampton, placing second in a ward where the top three candidates were elected. The position offered no salary but provided Coolidge with valuable political experience. In 1899, he
17262-475: Was dubbed the Four-H ticket. Herrick and Harding won by overwhelming margins. Once he and Harding were inaugurated, Herrick made ill-advised decisions that turned crucial Republican constituencies against him, alienating farmers by opposing the establishment of an agricultural college. On the other hand, according to Sinclair, "Harding had little to do, and he did it very well". His responsibility to preside over
17399-644: Was eligible for listing as a contributing element in the (then) pending expansion of the Hadley Center Historic District . In 1994, the bridge was included as a contributing element to the Hadley Center Historic District. The bridge is a major bottleneck in Hampshire County , with the busy Route 9 as the sole thoroughfare between the college towns of Northampton and Amherst. The road approaching
17536-469: Was inaugurated on January 2, 1919, the First World War had ended, and Coolidge pushed the legislature to give a $ 100 bonus (equivalent to $ 1,757 in 2023) to Massachusetts veterans. He also signed a bill reducing the work week for women and children from fifty-four hours to forty-eight, saying, "We must humanize the industry, or the system will break down." He signed into law a budget that kept
17673-469: Was invited by President Harding to attend cabinet meetings, making him the first vice president to do so. He gave a number of unremarkable speeches around the country. As vice president, Coolidge and his vivacious wife Grace were invited to quite a few parties, where the legend of "Silent Cal" was born. It is from this time that most of the jokes and anecdotes involving Coolidge originate, such as Coolidge being "silent in five languages". Although Coolidge
17810-433: Was known to be a skilled and effective public speaker, in private he was a man of few words and was commonly referred to as "Silent Cal". An apocryphal story has it that a person seated next to him at a dinner said to him, "I made a bet today that I could get more than two words out of you." He replied, "You lose." However, on April 22, 1924, Coolidge himself said that the "You lose" quotation never occurred. The story about it
17947-538: Was legally blind) to be appointed as a teacher at the Ohio School for the Blind , although there were better-qualified candidates. In another trade, he offered publicity in his newspaper in exchange for free railroad passes for himself and his family. According to Sinclair, "it is doubtful that Harding ever thought there was anything dishonest in accepting the perquisites of position or office. Patronage and favors seemed
18084-414: Was profoundly influenced by philosophy professor Charles Edward Garman , a Congregational mystic who had a neo-Hegelian philosophy. Coolidge explained Garman's ethics forty years later: [T]here is a standard of righteousness that might does not make right, that the end does not justify the means, and that expediency as a working principle is bound to fail. The only hope of perfecting human relationships
18221-432: Was put forth, relying on the rank and file to confirm their decision. A delegate from Oregon , Wallace McCamant , having read Have Faith in Massachusetts , proposed Coolidge for vice president instead. The suggestion caught on quickly with the masses starving for an act of independence from the absent bosses, and Coolidge was unexpectedly nominated. The Democrats nominated another Ohioan, James M. Cox , for president and
18358-563: Was related by Frank B. Noyes, President of the Associated Press , to their membership at their annual luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, when toasting and introducing Coolidge, who was the invited speaker. After the introduction and before his prepared remarks, Coolidge said to the membership, "Your President [referring to Noyes] has given you a perfect example of one of those rumors now current in Washington which
18495-434: Was that he was popular with, and had done favors for, the more progressive forces that now controlled the Ohio Republican Party. Harding sought and gained the 1910 Republican gubernatorial nomination. At that time, the party was deeply divided between progressive and conservative wings, and could not defeat the united Democrats; he lost the election to incumbent Judson Harmon . Harry Daugherty managed Harding's campaign, but
18632-525: Was the 29th president of the United States , serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party , he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents while in office. After his death, a number of scandals were exposed, including Teapot Dome , as well as an extramarital affair with Nan Britton , which tarnished his reputation. Harding lived in rural Ohio all his life, except when political service took him elsewhere. As
18769-543: Was usual at that time for state senators in Ohio to serve only one term, but Harding gained renomination in 1901. After the assassination of McKinley in September (he was succeeded by Vice President Theodore Roosevelt ), much of the appetite for politics was temporarily lost in Ohio. In November, Harding won a second term, more than doubling his margin of victory to 3,563 votes. Like most politicians of his time, Harding accepted that patronage and graft would be used to repay political favors. He arranged for his sister Mary (who
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