Warren G. Harding

Warren Harding (b November 2, 1865, d August 2, 1923), considered by many to be one of the greatest American Presidents, was an Ohio Senator and the 29th President of the United States of America. His presidency, although recently maligned in the mainstream media, helped transition the nation from a war to a peacetime posture. Mr. Harding and his running mate Calvin Coolidge were elected by a large majority over James Cox and Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a large part because of the American people's rejection of the internationalist policies of former President Woodrow Wilson, particularly the League of Nations.

Key Accomplishments

Immigration Control

Mr. Harding signed into law the Emergency Quota Act which sought to control runaway immigration following World War I and preserve the distinctive American culture by ensuring the majority of immigrants came from the historically compatible cultures of Northern Europe. This law aimed to bring wages of hard working Americans under control by limiting immigration to 3% of the 1910 census. It was so successful that it was followed on by a similar act in 1924, after Mr. Harding's death.

Tulsa Race Riot

Harding sought to calm race relations during the Tulsa Race Riot and events that followed. His wise words helped to calm the nation especially in the Tulsa area at this time of disturbance. His press secretary also sent a telegram to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People offering the president's support.

Justice

Harding pardoned the socialist Eugene Debs who was wrongly imprisoned during World War I for opposing the war. Despite their political differences, Harding was cordial to him and met with him in the White House, "I have heard so damned much about you, Mr Debs, that I am very glad to meet you personally."

Harding defined the Supreme Court for two decades, appointing four solidly conservative justices. Harding's appointments included former President William Howard Taft to be Chief Justice (1921), George Sutherland (1922), Pierce Butler (1923) and Edward Terry Sanford (1923). Two of these justices (Taft and Sanford) served until 1930. The other two (Sutherland and Butler) served until the late 1930s and stood up to the liberal policies of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

In particular, Sutherland and Butler were the core of the conservative Four Horsemen who invalidated key aspects of the New Deal and drove President Roosevelt to propose his court-packing scheme, which caused him to lose his credibility with Congress and the public.

In selecting Pierce, Harding broke with tradition by picking a conservative Democrat even though Harding was a Republican.

Fiscal

Harding created the Bureau of the Budget, restrained the federal budget, reduced wartime armaments and helped to stimulate the economy helping lead to the period of prosperity experienced in the United States during the 1920s. Shortly after taking office, Harding also successfully passed promotion of US Agriculture, repeal of the wartime "excess profits" tax and reduction of rail rates. Due in part to Mr. Harding's conservative economic policies, the US experienced a period of profound economic growth in the early 1920s that continued through most of the decade.

Military

While Harding did lack the vision to continue aggressive military spending in preparation for future defense, he did preside over modernization of the U.S. forces including the addition of the experimental aircraft carrier Langley and the T-2 submarine as well as the creation of a merchant marine which was critical in early US involvement in WWII via the Lend-Lease Act.

Diplomatic

Harding avoided entangling alliances that lead to war and defended US interests. Mr. Harding outlined his policy in his inaugural address: "...every commitment must be made in the exercise of our national sovereignty. Since freedom impelled, and independence inspired, and nationality exalted, a world supergovernment is contrary to everything we cherish and can have no sanction by our Republic. This is not selfishness, it is sanctity. It is not aloofness, it is security. It is not suspicion of others, it is patriotic adherence to the things which made us what we are."

Supported by his conservative colleagues in congress as well as the American people, Harding succeeded at continuing to keep the United States out of the League of Nations.

Failings

Labor interests

Mr. Harding's administration errantly helped bring about the 40-hour work week which restricted the economic output of the US and restricted small, medium and large businesses alike. Still this reactionary event did help calm a period of increased labor tension.

Teapot Dome incident

Mr. Harding, in a quest to help re-privatize land taken from the American people and industry by their own government, appointed Senator Albert B. Fall of New Mexico as his Secretary of the Interior. While Falls efforts to open reserves for private exploration are commendable, he misappropriated this effort for his own gain in an abuse of the public trust. In revenge, Democrats in congress, lead by Senator Thomas J. Walsh and Republican Senator Robert M. LaFollette (a former progressive), began an investigation with the support of the conservationist interests that backed them. They found that Fall had used his privatization efforts to benefit himself to the tune of over $400,000. Mr. Fall also had entangled other businessmen and politicians into his wrongdoing which lead to other indictments of both Democrats and Republicans and continued into the Coolidge administration. While Mr. Harding did not know about these dealings until shortly before his death, he was indirectly at fault as it was his appointee behind them. In later years the petroleum reserves would prove to be less valuable than initially overestimated by the government.

Death

Mr. Harding's death was most unexpected and sudden although Mr. Harding did not eat well or exercise, and suffered from high blood pressure. While wild speculation and many books have been written about the subject, most of the evidence suggest he either died of natural causes or the negligent practices of his doctor who subscribed to a form or homeopathic herbal medicine.

Trivia

• Out of all of the Presidents of the U.S. he had the largest feet.
• He was the first president to visit Alaska.
• He was the first President to speak on the radio and the first to have a radio in the White House.
• He is the only president to have a PHD.

Assault in the MSM

Recently liberals have maligned Harding so far as to cast him as being one of the worst U.S. Presidents. They point to a dubious assortment of allegations as to the president's respect for his marriage. They go so far as to blame him for setting into place policies that helped bring about the Great Depression despite Mr Harding's death nearly 7 years before its start. A number have suggested that he was a "do nothing" president and overlook his accomplishments. Much of this is due to a liberal bias that government should do more which opposes Mr. Harding's conservative Republican beliefs that there should be less government in business and more business in government.