Welcome to Party Twenty-Seven! It’s time for the president who was elected on his birthday, the man who had more than a few scandals. Let’s dive into the administration of Warren G. Harding:
Inauguration- 4th March 1921
Warren G. Harding was inaugurated on the East Portico of the US Capitol by Chief Justice Edward D. White. It was a sunny day, hitting 38F/3C at noon. Harding’s speech was average length at about 3,326 words. He spoke of a new post-war age with female suffrage- ‘Our supreme task is the resumption of our onward, normal way. Reconstruction, readjustment, restoration all these must follow.’ The speech was not well-received. Harding believed that he had to set an example of modesty and simplicity, thus continuing the cancellation of inaugural balls.
Ratifies the Thomson-Urrutia Treaty- 20th April 1921
The Thomson-Urrutia Treaty was ratified on this day. In exchange for recognising the independence of Panama, Colombia received $25M ($451M today). The original treaty had included an apology regarding Theodore Roosevelt’s seizure of Panama, but this one did not.
Signs the Emergency Quota Act- 19th May 1921
Harding signed the Emergency Quota Act on this day. It limited the number of immigrants to 3% of a specific country. The aim was to restrict immigration from certain countries, though it didn’t include Asian immigrants who were already limited and those from the Americas.
Signs the Emergency Tariff Act- 27th May 1921
Harding signed the Emergency Tariff Act on this day. In an attempt to protect American farmers, it increased import tariffs on agricultural products.
Tulsa Race Massacre begins- 31st May 1921
The Tulsa Race Massacre began on this day. A black teenager had been accused of sexually assaulting a young white woman in Greenwood, Tulsa, which led to a clash between white men who wanted to lynch him, and black men who wanted to protect him. The incident was sparked by a gun accidentally going off. Overnight, mobs attacked wealthy black businesses and homes, with millions in property damage and at least thirty-six people killed. The riots/massacre is remembered to this day, where memorials are often found and schoolchildren taught about it.
Signs the Knox-Porter Resolution- 2nd July 1921
Harding signed the Knox-Porter Resolution. As America had not signed the Treaty of Versailles, this was the country’s way of officially ending WWI with Germany.
William Howard Taft becomes Chief Justice of the Supreme Court- 11th July 1921
Former president William Howard Taft achieved his lifelong dream of becoming Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on this day. The two had somewhat of an agreement on the matter, but Taft had to lobby hard for the position. Taft is remembered as one of the finest Chief Justices.
Battle of Blair Mountain begins- 25th August 1921
The week-long Battle of Blair Mountain started on this day. One of the largest labour uprisings in US history, it had started when police and strikebreakers had clashed violently with strikers at a West Virginia coal mine. The trigger was the killing of a lawman and a mayor among others. Perhaps close to one-hundred people were killed, mainly striking miners, with over one million rounds used in the action. Many miners were acquitted by juries, but the mine owners won in the end.
Federal troops arrive in West Virginia- 2nd September 1921
Federal troops arrived in West Virginia. This helped end the strike, as miners were unwilling to fire on the military. Still, federal forces allegedly attacked the miners with machine guns and bombs.
Establishes Armistice Day- 30th September 1921
Harding signed a proclamation creating Armistice Day from the 11th November that year. It is known as Veterans Day in the United States. Fittingly, a Veterans Day parade was the last public appearance by Florence Harding in 1924-she died ten days later.
Publicly supports civil rights- 26th October 1921
Harding showed his civil rights credentials when he publicly supported equal education and political rights on this day. In front of a segregated crowd in the very Jim Crow city of Birmingham, Alabama, Harding said, among other things: ‘These things lead one to hope that we shall find an adjustment of relations between the two races, in which both can enjoy full citizenship, the full measure of usefulness to the country and of opportunity for themselves, and in which recognition and reward shall at last be distributed in proportion to individual deserts, regardless of race or color.’ The white audience sat in stunned silence as their black counterparts cheered. Southern Democrats were furious.
A railroad strike is narrowly averted- 27th October 1921
A railroad strike was narrowly averted on this day. Unions accepted changes by the Railroad Labour Board.
Signs Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Act- 23rd November 1921
Harding signed the Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Act. It was a landmark piece of legislation that matched federal and state funding for prenatal and infant care. The act had been pushed particularly by social workers and female activists, and represented a great victory for women in the political arena. The idea had come from Jeannette Rankin, the first woman in Congress. Whilst the act ended in 1929, it was key in decreasing child and infant mortality in the United States.
Signs the Washington Naval Treaty- 6th February 1922
Harding signed the Washington Naval Treaty on this day. It was signed by the USA, British Empire, Japan, France and Italy, and aimed to limit naval armaments across these countries.
Beginning of the Teapot Dome Scandal- 7th April 1922
The Teapot Dome Scandal began on this day. Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall leased federal oil fields in Teapot Dome, Wyoming and other areas to private companies in exchange for bribes. This bribe was $100,000 ($2M today). This act would lead to the downfall of key figures, suicides and the popularity of Harding.
Teapot Dome Story breaks- 14th April 1922
The story broke only a week later on this day, when the Wall Street Journal released the details.
Vetoes Soldiers’ Bonus Bill- 19th September 1922
Harding vetoed the Soldiers’ Bonus Bill on this day. WWI soldiers hoped to get bonuses via their service certificates. He argued that paying off the national debt was more important, and that veterans were already compensated for other things. Congress overrode the veto, but the Senate sustained it.
Signs Fordney-McCumber Tariff Act- 21st September 1922
Harding signed the Fordney-McCumber Tariff Act on this day. This increased tariffs.
Albert Fall resigns- 4th March 1923
Following the Teapot Dome Scandal, Fall resigned his office. He would later be imprisoned for his crimes.
Suicide of Jess Smith- 30th May 1923
Jess Smith, a member of Harding’s inner circle, killed himself on this day. It is said that Smith knew a lot about the inner dealings of the Harding administration, with all of the scandals attached. His ex-wife Roxie Stinson strongly believed that he was murdered to protect the secrets from getting out, and others agreed. Whatever the case, it has only muddied the waters, as Smith had been pushed out of the inner circle prior to this death.
Starts transcontinental tour- 20th June 1923
Harding started a transcontinental tour on this day. He would crisscross the mainland United States for over a week, making speeches.
Arrives in Alaska- 8th July 1923
Harding and his party arrived in Alaska on this day. He and Florence had been desperate to see Alaska, despite how worried he was about his punishing schedule. Harding thoroughly enjoyed Alaska and its beauty, but was fatigued by the event.
Falls ill- 27th July 1923
Harding started to fall ill on this day. The party had just arrived back in the mainland United States from Canada, where he had felt so tired that he’d skipped several rounds of golf.
Rushed to San Francisco- 29th July 1923
Harding was in Seattle when he started to feel worse. This necessitated skipping a stop in Portland, Oregon. The party arrived in San Francisco. Harding insisted on walking from the car into the Palace Hotel, but collapsed and had to be helped inside. For the next few days, Harding rested in bed. Doctors suggested pneumonia, heart problems and food poisoning. As he had chest pain and indigestion, he was given heart medication.
Dies- 2nd August 1923
Warren G. Harding died on this day, the sixth of eight presidents to die in office and the third of four to die of natural causes. He was sitting up in bed in the Presidential Suite, having felt better after several days of rest, as wife Florence read glowing stories about him. Harding encouraged her: ‘That’s good. Go on, read some more.’ Suddenly, Harding convulsed and dropped onto the bed. Florence Harding ran out for help, but nothing could be done- he was dead by the time he’d hit the mattress. He was fifty-seven. Doctors at the time suspected a stroke or cerebral hemorrhage, but it was actually a heart attack, a condition not widely known at the time. Florence refused an autopsy for her husband and had the body embalmed an hour later. This led to rumours that she’d poisoned him in revenge for her husband’s affairs. The nation widely mourned the extremely popular, gregarious president, and his state funeral was widely attended. Harding’s initial popularity soon waned after the depth of the Teapot Dome Scandal and others broke after his death. By the time the 30s had arrived, Harding was widely distrusted and despised. To this day, historians and the public rate him as one of the worst presidents. Even the most sympathetic historian states that Harding may not have known about the scandals, but he surrounded himself with the wrong people. In 1927, his former mistress Nan Britton revealed in a tell-all novel that he’d fathered her daughter Elizabeth. DNA testing finally confirmed this in 2015.
That’s it for Warren G. Harding. Tune in next time for Calvin Coolidge, in which we’ll see him deal with radio, Lucky Lindy and being very quiet
