History remembers many politicians who ever stood at the significant helm of power. But not all of them left their mark on it. And certainly not every president can hear real laudatory odes, even after their death. This is exactly the case with the former head of the United States. What kind of person was Warren Harding? How did he earn the people's trust? What did he become famous for?
A few facts from the biography
Warren Harding is the 29th American president, born in early November 1865. His home is considered a small farmer's house, located in Blooming Grove (Ohio). Warren's parents were ordinary agricultural workers who raised livestock and sold their vegetable crops in the marketplace.
Warren went to school close to home. Moving closer to the city center, he went to study at a local college. During his studies, he helped his parents on the farm, loved to read and invent non-existent fairy tale characters.
Graduation and Job Search
At the end of his studies, Warren Gamaliel Harding (his biography, as you can see, is very stingy withdetailed description of childhood) went in search of work. Initially, he wanted to practice law, but, having experienced certain disappointments, he decided to drastically change his role. His choice fell on a small editorial office of the newspaper, which at the very least, but worked. She herself was in a very deplorable state, since the editor-in-chief typed texts and at the same time handed out newspapers on the street.
For what reason this publishing house attracted the future president, it's hard to say. But the experience of working in it helped him to get a certain place in society. And although he started with an ordinary assistant editor, he very soon grew to a newspaper publisher. However, this place was not enough for his growing ambitions.
Dive into the political abyss
As it turns out, Warren Harding has attracted the attention of some influential people. They liked a young and ambitious person with excellent communication skills.
In their opinion, he was perfect for the role of state senator. So, unexpectedly for himself, our hero accepted the offer of we althy individuals and applied for participation in the elections. According to the results of the vote, it was he who was chosen as the head of Ohio.
At the same time as the senatorial activity, the future guarantor of America received an honorary membership in one of the influential Republican parties. This is how Warren Harding began his political career.
Love or exact calculation?
In contrast to his growing career in politics, Warren has decided to pursue his personal life. He was never famousconstancy, loved a wild lifestyle and was not seen surrounded by the same woman. However, contrary to the image of a womanizer that has developed in society, our hero nevertheless decided to settle down. His choice fell on the divorced daughter of a fairly large banker. Florence King was older than him, but behind her was a we althy and influential dad.
For the same reason, many said that this marriage was unequal, therefore, it was calculated. By the way, it is quite possible that our hero decided to seriously work on creating the image of an exemplary family man. It was he who was needed for certain purposes by the future president. Be that as it may, in 1891, Warren Gamaliel Harding proposed to his chosen one, and they got married.
Presidential elections and a huge victory
Having shown himself excellently as a senator and as an active political figure in the ranks of the Republican Party, our hero swung for the presidency. As it turned out, not in vain. Having won a stunning victory, in March 1921 he entered into his rights as a guarantor. Who would have thought that now this is not the son of an ordinary farmer, but President Warren Harding. However, having received such an honorary title, our hero has not yet fully appreciated the seriousness of the burden that they helped him to shoulder. During his first speech, he solemnly promised that he would soon restore and improve the country.
But, as it turned out, his reign did not start at all with what the leaders expected from himRepublican Party. According to them, a slight bewilderment was caused by the appointment of some well-known politicians to senior positions. Among them were also many influential people who paid their respects to him in Ohio. And some, according to outraged Republicans, had a very dubious reputation. For example, one of them was Fall. He was said to be speculating in the sale of mines and land.
Warren Gamaliel (biography): first changes in the White House
Warren became the first president to open the doors of the White House to the public. According to him, he and his wife were ordinary people, so they did not consider it necessary to hide behind the walls of a government building. Thus, they took several steps towards the common people, which, naturally, won over the citizens.
For the same reason, the doors of the White House were also open to the president's friends, with whom he often played poker and drank whiskey. Also, Warren Harding (US President) restored relations with the media. That is why he often organized press conferences and participated in debates.
Changes at the state level
After settling all the formalities, Warren began to fulfill his obligations to the voters. The first thing he did was to change the tax and customs law. In them, he lowered rates and raised duties on agricultural products and manufactured goods.
Further, he introduced restrictions on the annualimmigration. This time, Warren Harding set a quota according to which no more than 355,825 people could enter the country every year. Then he allowed loans to farms and signed a law on marketing cooperation. Warren is one of the first presidents to build federal highways. He signed an amnesty for previously convicted war opponents and spoke publicly for the restoration of the rights of black Americans.
Stormy discussions, scandals and squabbles in Congress
Because Harding Warren could not please everyone, especially since he did not understand some issues at all and relied on other people, he caused a flurry of criticism and mistrust from Congress. For example, some of its representatives wanted to reduce taxes for entrepreneurs, while others pointed out that it was at the expense of businessmen that the state treasury was filled. Often these contradictions forced the president to take rash actions. For example, one example is the pension reform, which Warren ended up having to veto because the politicians failed to reach an agreement.
Bribery and corruption in government
As we have already said, Warren Gamaliel Harding led the country with the help of a huge number of assistants. But they, like many officials, often played a double game. That is why most of them are mired in squabbles, scandals and bribery. One of the first to fall for corruption was Albert Fall, who served as Minister of Internal Resources. For this he was punished and placed under arrest.
The second major scandalduring Harding's tenure there was a case involving the Veterans Bureau. This time, the cause for new gossip was Charles Forbes, who embezzled $ 2 million intended for the payment of pensions and insurance to war veterans. It was him that Harding helped to escape abroad, having previously deprived him of an influential post. However, the scandal could not be avoided, as the last fly in the ointment turned out to be Forbes' mistress, who is building hospitals for veterans at inflated prices.
Declining he alth
All these scandals, proceedings not only harmed the reputation of the president, but also greatly affected his he alth. For the first time Harding Warren began to complain of ailments after returning from Alaska. There he attended the opening of the railway and talked to the press. After a short examination, it turned out that the president has certain problems with his heart rhythm. Having interrupted his carefully planned trip, the head of America went on vacation to San Francisco. A couple of days after his arrival, the president got worse. As it turned out, the cause of the ailments lay in the complications caused by pneumonia and heart failure.
An unexpected and mysterious death
After taking the medicine, the guarantor felt better. He listened to his wife's reading, talked about fishing, and died some time later. According to his wife, the immobilized body was found by a nurse in the morning. She was shocked by his unnatural position and the obvious signs of agony on his face. The death of the president plunged many Americans into a real shock. They are a long timemourned and remembered their guarantor only in a positive way.
Strange speculations and facts
The strange death of the president caused a strong reaction from skeptics. Many believed that the cause was not a disease, but poisoning. Moreover, they called the first lady guilty of the death of the guarantor. It is far from a secret that the President was not faithful to her. Warren previously had an affair with a certain Carrie Fulton and Nan Britton, who soon gave birth to his daughter. And although he denied paternity for a long time, a DNA test clarified this issue. For the same reason, it was generally believed that it was the wife who poisoned her husband because of jealousy.
However, details about the last days of the president have emerged recently. According to the information received, the cause of death was an overdose of laxatives. It was he who was appointed by the attending physician to the guarantor upon detection of symptoms of food poisoning. It is noteworthy that the series of oddities did not end there. Harding's doctor died 13 months after Harding's death, and Warren's wife died suddenly two months later.