Born on November 2, 1865, Warren Gamaliel Harding was the oldest of eight children born to Dr. George Tryon Harding and Phoebe Dickerson Harding in Blooming Grove, Ohio. Early in Warren’s childhood, his family moved to the small town of Caledonia, Ohio, where Dr. Harding established a medical practice. As a child in Caledonia, Warren worked as an apprentice in the office of the Caledonia Argus newspaper, an experience which would influence him for the rest of his life.
While Warren attended Ohio Central College in Iberia, Ohio, his family moved to Marion. After his graduation in 1882, Warren joined his family in Marion and attempted to start a career. He briefly taught school in a small schoolhouse just north of the town, considered being a lawyer, and even tried selling insurance.
But none of these things appealed to him for very long. During this time, his love of the newspaper business never subsided, and at the age of 19, with two partners, Warren purchased the Marion Daily Star, one of several newspapers in the small town. The Star was struggling and losing money, and soon Warren’s friends decided to leave the business. But Warren continued on, and eventually The Star began making money. Through the articles that he wrote for the newspaper, Warren promoted new businesses in Marion, supported the town’s progress and growth, and generally became an important voice in the city as it grew in population and importance. Harding owned The Star for nearly forty years.
Warren married Florence Kling DeWolfe on July 8, 1891 in the reception hall of their new home on Mount Vernon Avenue in Marion. He was 25 and she was 30 at the time of their marriage. Florence was the daughter of the richest man in Marion, Amos H. Kling. The Hardings had no children of their own, but Mrs. Harding had a son, Marshall DeWolfe, from her first marriage, which had ended in divorce in 1886. The Hardings were married for 32 years until his death in 1923.
Warren Harding entered politics in 1899, winning a seat as State Senator in the Ohio Legislature, where he would serve two terms. As an ardent Republican, Harding began to advance in Ohio politics, and in 1903 became Lieutenant Governor. He served in that capacity for two years before returning to the newspaper business. In 1910, Mr. Harding conducted an unsuccessful bid for the governorship of Ohio. Undaunted by this loss, and encouraged by his friends and colleagues, four years later, Mr Harding launched a campaign for a seat in the U.S. Senate. This time, he was successful, becoming Ohio’s first senator elected by direct vote of the citizens. He took office in 1915, and in 1916 received the honor of being chosen to deliver the keynote address at the Republican National Convention in Chicago. Soon, his supporters began to urge him to make a run for the presidency in 1920.
America in 1920 was beset with many problems. World War One had just ended. Returning veterans had trouble finding work. Farmers were in financial trouble. Both inflation and prices of goods were high. Many of the peace treaties to end the war had not yet been settled. Many voters blamed President Wilson for some of these problems. With all of these issues as a backdrop, the Republican Party met in Chicago that summer to choose their presidential candidate. Several candidates, including Warren Harding, were being considered for the nomination. But through several ballots, none were receiving enough votes to become the party’s nominee. Then, in the early morning hours of June 12, on the tenth ballot, Harding finally gained enough support to win the nomination. Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge was chosen as the Vice-Presidential candidate. Later that summer, the Democrats, meeting in San Francisco for their Convention, chose Ohio Governor James Cox as their presidential candidate and Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt as their Vice-Presidential candidate. Interestingly, Mr. Cox, like Mr. Harding, was also a newspaperman and owned the Dayton Daily News.
After the nomination process was completed, Senator Harding returned to Marion where he decided to conduct almost his entire 3-month campaign from the front porch of his home on Mount Vernon Avenue. His choice to campaign in this style was not a new concept. His campaign was actually the fourth such front-porch-style campaign–with all three previous ones having been successfully conducted by Ohio Presidents Benjamin Harrison, James Garfield, and William McKinley. During the campaign, delegations of citizens came from all across the country to hear Mr. Harding speak on the important topics of the day. In addition, many interest groups came to hear him speak: Civil War veterans, women’s groups, Native American and African-American delegations, and even famous Broadway stars of the day. All in all, approximately 600,000 people came to Marion that summer for Mr. Harding’s campaign. By contrast, Governor Cox conducted more of modern campaign (by today’s standards) by criss-crossing the nation over a two-month period of time and speaking to as many people as possible. His running mate, Mr. Roosevelt, who himself would become president a little more than a decade later, also traveled across the country giving speeches.
On election day, November 2, 1920–which was also Mr. Harding’s 55th birthday–the voters spoke very clearly about their choice for President. Mr. Harding won with slightly more than sixty percent of the vote. When all the votes were counted, it was evident that the 1920 presidential election was the biggest landslide in United States history. This election was also notable in that it was the first in which women could vote. The 19th Amendment has just been ratified on August 18, 1920, giving women the right to vote for the first time. Because of this fact, Mrs. Harding became the first woman to be able to cast a vote for her husband for president.
The vote count of the 1920 election were as follows:
Harding Cox
Popular vote: 16,144,093 9,139,661
Electoral vote: 404 127
Percentages: 60.3% 34.1%
States won: 37 11
On March 2, 1921, President-Elect Harding and Mrs. Harding stood on the porch of their home in Marion saying goodbye to their fellow citizens who had helped elect Mr. Harding as the 29th President of the United States. As it turned out, that was the last time that they would set foot on their porch. Later that day, they would depart for Washington, D.C., where Mr. Harding would be sworn in as president on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on March 4th. His inauguration speech would be the first to be given with the aid of an amplification system so that the thousands in attendance could better hear what was being said.
From the beginning, the Harding Cabinet featured many capable and well-known individuals:
Vice-President Calvin Coolidge
Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes
Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon
Secretary of War John Weeks
Attorney General Harry Daugherty
Postmasters General William Hays, Hubert Work, and Harry New
Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby
Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall (1921-23), Hubert Work (1923)
Secretary of Agriculture Henry C. Wallace
Secretary of Commerce Herbert C. Hoover
Secretary of Labor James J. Davis
Upon entering the White House, the Hardings were very popular among Americans. They were outgoing and friendly and enjoyed chatting with average American citizens. The Hardings immediately opened the White House to visitors, and Mrs. Harding even conducted some of the tours of the building.
President Harding’s administration inherited several daunting national and international issues that had been left over from the Wilson administration in a transition to the post World War One era: Inflation was high. Former soldiers were returning from the war and having trouble finding jobs. American industry was reverting from wartime production back to domestic production. Some peace treaties remained unsigned. Many people feared that there would be a rush to re-arm in the wake of the end of the war. These and several other issues created a very full plate of responsibilities for the new president.
Accomplishments of the Harding Administration
Mr. Harding was willing to face the many responsibilities that came along with his new position, and in his short twenty-nine-month administration, he was able to accomplish many of his goals. The following is a list of the Administration’s accomplishments:
Established a Budget Bureau to streamline government spending and keep track of federal money more efficiently (previously, each department had submitted its own budget)
Supported restrictions on immigration, resulting in quotas
Signed the Treaty of Berlin to formally end hostilities with Germany after World War One
Convened the Washington Conference to limit naval armaments
Restored high protective tariffs.
Vetoed veterans’ bonus bill because of insufficient federal money
Reduced federal deficit by 25 percent in two years
Dedicated the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington D.C.
The Western Trip and Harding’s Death
During the summer of 1923, President and Mrs. Harding embarked on an ambitious trip through the western states of the United States, north through Canada, and then into Alaska. The purpose of this trip was for the President to meet the people, listen to their opinions and concerns, and to visit Alaska in an attempt to learn more about the resources and needs of our future 49th state. The trip was an arduous, months-long excursion which would also bring the presidential entourage on a return trip south through the Panama Canal, over to Puerto Rico, and eventually home to Washington D.C. The trip proved to be a very taxing endeavor that took its toll on President Harding’s health. At a stop in San Francisco at the Palace Hotel, the President took ill and was confined to bed for several weeks. The doctors in attendance gave the Press frequent updates on the President’s health, and for awhile it seemed that the worst of his illness had passed. In the early evening hours of August 2, 1923, the doctors issued an announcement that Mr. Harding had turned a corner in his illness and that they were confident of a full recovery. But later that evening, another announcement was issued that the President had died unexpectedly of what was then assumed to be a “stroke of apoplexy” (often shortened to “stroke”). Modern doctors who have looked at the medical records of Mr. Harding’s doctors at the time have since concluded that he died of a massive heart attack.
President Harding’s body was brought back across the country from California to Washington by train to lie in state in the rotunda of the Capitol Building. Along the way, tens of thousands of American citizens lined the railroad tracks to watch the funeral train pass by. Newspapers across the country covered the trip back to the nation’s capital, and churches in numerous cities, towns, and rural areas held services to mourn and honor the deceased chief executive. While the body lay in state in Washington, thousands of mourners filed past to pay their respects.
After the funeral services were finished in the nation’s capital, President Harding’s body was loaded back on the train for the trip to Marion. On August 9, 1923, the body was brought to the home of Dr. George T. Harding, the President’s father, for public viewing by the Marion friends and neighbors who knew him best. In addition, many thousands of people from outside of Marion came to the city for the viewing and the funeral services, including many famous individuals, both from inside the national government and beyond. Mr. Harding’s remains were then laid to rest in the Marion Cemetery in a small receiving vault, where they would rest–eventually alongside the remains of Mrs. Harding, who would pass away fifteen months after her husband in 1924–for four years until a grand tomb could be constructed on the outskirts of the city. In 1927, the bodies of President and Mrs. Harding were interred in the Harding Memorial, where they remain today.
At the time of his death in 1923, Warren G. Harding enjoyed widespread popularity with the American people. Some estimates have shown that he may have been the most popular president since Abraham Lincoln. Many of the goals that Mr. Harding had set out to accomplish had been realized, while others were still to be completed. The outpouring of nationwide grief upon his death gave ample proof of how well he was loved throughout the country. Unfortunately, after his death, a few scandals came to light involving members of his cabinet, including the Teapot Dome Scandal and the Veterans’ Bureau Scandal. Although it was never proven that Mr. Harding was directly involved in the misdeeds associated with these scandals, his reputation was severely tarnished and his popularity declined. In addition to the scandals involving his administration, allegations arose after his death that he had had extramarital affairs with two local women, Carrie Phillips and Nan Britton. Through the subsequent years, these rumors proved to be true, and his reputation and popularity continued to fall.
In recent years, however, historical researchers have begun to undertake a deeper examination of President Harding’s administration, his accomplishments, and his legacy. In light of these renewed studies, many authors, such as Robert K. Murray, John Dean, and David H. Stratton, among others, have re-examined Harding’s place in history, and his reputation has been somewhat rehabilitated.
Further research and examination continues to be undertaken and will likely further improve his standing amongst the other chief executives of the United States.
Born on August 15, 1860 in Marion, Ohio, Florence Mabel Kling was the oldest of three children of Amos Hall Kling and Louisa Bouton Kling. She had two younger brothers named Clifford and Vetallis. Her father was a self-made businessman and real estate owner who became the richest man in Marion and a prominent city leader. As such, her father was able to give her many of the best things in life, including a childhood in a large home, proper equestrian training, and piano lessons. As a young woman, Florence studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and eventually gave private piano lessons around Marion.
In January 1880, Florence surprised her family and fellow citizens by eloping with Marionite Henry Atherton DeWolfe (sometimes known as “Pete”). Living at first in the Marion County village of Prospect, the couple’s only child, Marshall Eugene DeWolfe was born on September 22, 1880.
Henry was a undependable husband and father, failing to provide for his wife and young son and disappearing for weeks at a time. He also was an alcoholic. They divorced in 1886, and Florence took back her maiden name. Marshall spent part of his childhood at the Kling home and alternated between using the Kling and DeWolfe last names. Marshall married in 1908, and he and his wife, Esther, had 2 children, George and Jean. Marshall passed away from tuberculosis on January 1, 1915 in Denver, CO.
Around 1889, Florence met and started dating the owner and publisher of one of Marion’s local newspapers. Warren G. Harding, who had purchased the struggling Marion Daily Star in 1884 when he was just 19 years old, was handsome, personable – and broke. Her father, never letting Florence forget about her first mistake in marriage, was vocal about his disdain for her new beau. He felt that Harding’s profession as a publisher was beneath his daughter’s station in life. Nevertheless, 30-year-old Florence and 25-year-old Warren were married in the entrance hall of their new home on Mount Vernon Avenue in Marion on the evening of July 8, 1891.
Nearly from the start, Florence took an interest in the business side of the Star, working with the financial books of the newspaper. As she put it, “I stopped by the Star office one afternoon and stayed fourteen years.”
She realigned home delivery of the newspaper in Marion to make it more efficient and profitable and made sure than every penny coming into the paper made its way to the bank. Florence’s help, along with a growing staff, allowed Harding to spend the bulk of his time with the editorial product. The newspaper turned a financial corner in the 1890s and provided the Hardings with a comfortable income.
As Warren Harding took a more active role in Ohio Republican politics, he had a loyal supporter and sounding board by his side: Florence. She enjoyed the inner workings of politics and loved to talk strategy. She was a visible and active participant in all of her husband’s campaigns. Mrs. Harding, starting in 1905, suffered from chronic kidney disease. Episodes of the nephritis would send her to bed for days or weeks at a time, as she waited for the high fevers and abdominal pain to subside. She was determined, though, not to let the disease limit her activities. The Hardings loved to travel, and the couple visited Europe three times, as well as Egypt, Hawaii, and the Caribbean, with Florence’s favorite destination being Italy. These trips provided both Hardings with a wider range of experiences and new perspectives on the world. She also developed a growing interest in women’s rights, veterans’ care, and animal protection, topics which would serve her well in years to come.
During Mr. Harding’s famous Front Porch Campaign for the presidency in the summer of 1920, Mrs. Harding was always by his side as thousands of people filled Mount Vernon Avenue to hear the senator’s speeches. The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (allowing women to vote) passed in August, making it possible for Florence Harding to become the first woman to be able to cast a vote for her husband to be President of the United States.
After Mr. Harding’s landslide election to the presidency on November 2, 1920, and his inauguration on March 4, 1921, the Hardings became very popular with the American people. Mrs. Harding assumed a visible role as First Lady. One of her first tasks was to urge her husband to open the White House grounds to the general public after the inauguration ceremony. The Hardings understood that they worked for the people; both referred to the White House as “the people’s house.”
Throughout her two-and-a-half-year tenure as First Lady, Mrs.Harding blazed many new paths that previous presidential wives had never done, so much so that she was often called “The Model for the Modern First Lady.” She was especially committed to helping the disabled veterans from the recent world war assimilate to society and spent a lot of time with “my boys” in the Washington hospitals. She realized that the White House could act as a stage where accomplished women could be recognized. Because of her, female journalists, scientists, athletes and singers were frequent guests. She was generous in letting the Hardings’ dog, Laddie Boy, ride in parades and participate in events that would call attention to ending cruelty to animals. Mrs. Harding was the honorary National Chairwoman for the girl scouts and spoke about empowering women in politics, as well as in society in general.
In the summer of 1923, President Harding decided to take a long-planned–and very ambitious– train trip west across the country, north into Canada, and finally to Alaska. The plan was then to return to the mainland by boat, travel down the west coast by train, then board a ship bound for the Panama Canal. The trip would continue to Puerto Rico, and then return to Washington, D.C. Many people were fearful that Mrs. Harding would not be able to make the trip safely, especially since she had barely survived a brutal attack of her kidney disease the previous fall. The trip proved instead to be too much for President Harding, and he died of a massive heart attack in the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California, on August 2, 1923.
Suddenly, Florence Harding was forced to return home from California by train, as a new widow. She vowed to “not break down” as she accompanied her husband’s casket to the White House, then to the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, where it lay in state. Traveling by train once again, Florence held her head high as the president’s body made its final journey to Marion. Following a simple funeral, the president’s body was placed in a temporary receiving vault in Marion Cemetery until a permanent burial spot could be prepared.
After her husband’s funeral, Mrs. Harding returned to Washington, D.C. to tie up loose ends, finish outstanding business, and get settled into the Willard Hotel, where she would live for the next few months. During this time in Washington, she was inundated with requests for endorsements, financial donations, personal appearances, and various interviews by journalists and authors of magazines and books. She turned down almost all of these due to a lack of time and a lack of desire to subject herself to the constant barrage of requests. During this time period, the specter of her kidney disease kept re-appearing. As her health steadily declined in the early months of 1924, her friends urged her to return to Marion so that her personal physician and family friend, Dr. Charles Sawyer, could take care of her at his medical facility, the Sawyer Sanitarium, located just outside of the city. At first, Florence resisted returning to Marion, which held so many memories of her husband. But in July of 1924, Florence finally agreed to return to Marion and take up residence at Dr. Sawyer’s estate, under his care. Unfortunately, Dr. Sawyer passed away on September 23 of that year, and Florence’s medical care then fell to Dr. Sawyer’s son, Dr. Carl Sawyer. That fall, her kidney disease and heart ailments continued to worsen, and she passed away on November 21, 1924, just a little over fifteen months after the death of her beloved Warren.
Florence Harding’s body was placed beside her husband’s remains in the receiving vault in the Marion Cemetery. They both remained there until 1927 when their tomb, designated the Harding Memorial, was completed. Their bodies were then interred in the Memorial, which was officially dedicated in 1931 by President Herbert Hoover.
Florence Harding’s body was placed beside her husband’s remains in the receiving vault in the Marion Cemetery. They both remained there until 1927 when their tomb, designated the Harding Memorial, was completed. Their bodies were then interred in the Memorial, which was officially dedicated in 1931 by President Herbert Hoover.
The Harding Home, which is adjacent to the Warren G. Harding Presidential Library & Museum, has been open to the public since February 1926. Warren Harding and Florence Kling oversaw the construction of the home, at 380 Mt. Vernon Avenue in Marion, during their 1890-91 engagement. They were married in the home on July 8, 1891; it was their primary residence for the next 30 years.
The Hardings initially chose a reddish brown color for their home, with brown trim. The Queen Anne-style Victorian home was 2,500 square feet, featuring four bedrooms, reception hall, parlor, library, dining room and kitchen. Built to include many modern features for the time, it had a bathroom with indoor plumbing and gas lighting. Striped awnings, wicker furniture and a large rug completed the rectangular porch on the front of the house, making it function as a cool respite in the summer.
Mr. Harding was publisher of The Marion Daily Star newspaper, purchasing it when he was just 19 years old. As the newspaper flourished, the Hardings’ household income increased, allowing them to upgrade their home over the years. In 1903, they replaced the original porch with a larger porch featuring a round, “bandstand” area. The concrete and stone porch had an inlaid, wooden floor. As part of the renovation, the Hardings chose a new color for the home: kelly green with white trim (the trim color would not appear “white” to modern eyes – it would be interpreted as a buff color today).
A believer in making Marion “a progressive city,” by urging the installation of street lights, a sewer system and bricked streets, Mr. Harding demonstrated the same interest in embracing new technology at home. The Hardings installed knob-and-tube electricity in their home around 1902, to augment the original gas lines. Several of their new ceiling lighting fixtures were dual fixtures — operable with electricity or gas. Electrical service at the time had drawbacks; it was available only during limited hours, and was often unreliable. Interestingly, the only room not outfitted with electricity was the kitchen; it remained dependent upon gas.
The Hardings wallpapered every room in their home, even some ceilings, as was the decorating fashion. Just prior to Sen. Harding’s famous front porch campaign in 1920, they installed new wallpaper in the bathroom, parlor and library. An additional room, adjacent to the small kitchen, was built to provide food storage and preparation during the busy campaign days. A small bathroom was added in the basement to alleviate use of the home’s only original bathroom, which was located upstairs.
In April of 2016, the Harding Presidential Sites and the Ohio History Connection announced ‘Harding 2020;’ a revolutionary project aimed at fully restoring the Harding Home and Grounds to their 1920 appearance and construct the Warren G. Harding Presidential Library and Museum. The estimated cost to restore the home was $1.3 Million. In the fall of 2017, the Harding Home closed its doors to the public to undergo this restoration. Over the course of two years, the Harding Home was painstakingly restored inside and out.
The home itself underwent structural and electrical improvement, and wheelchair access to the downstairs portion of the home were added as part of this restoration. Throughout the home, the wallpaper was replicated to the way it appeared in 1920 based on receipts in the Harding Presidential Papers and physical evidence discovered during the restoration work.
On the exterior of the home, the paint colors of the home were updated to their 1920 appearance through a paint analysis process that concluded the trim color of the home was originally a cream color. In 1920, the Hardings added an addition to the kitchen to help meet the entertaining demand on the presidential candidate. During the 1965 restoration of the Harding Home, the addition to the kitchen was removed. Through archaeological work and campaign photos, the kitchen addition was rebuilt. Because there is no conclusive evidence to suggest how the Hardings used the additional kitchen space, this structure houses a wheelchair ramp.
Behind the Harding Home is the ‘Press House;’ a catalog kit home constructed for the newspaper reporters covering the 1920 campaign to use as workspace. Following the campaign, this structure survived and was most recently used as a museum and gift shop for the Harding Presidential Sites. Through the Harding 2020 restoration, the Press House was repainted and in the inside of the Press House was reconfigured to house self guided exhibits on the role of the press during the election of 1920.
The grounds of the Harding Home were returned to their 1920 appearance through this project. The visitor parking lot behind the home was removed and returned to being the Hardings back yard. Near the Press House, apple trees were planted. The reporters covering the campaign reported in their respective papers how they would eat the apples from the trees on the ground and the grapes on the arbor behind the home. Behind the Press House, the makeshift horseshoe pit where Senator Harding and the newspaper reporters would play, was recreated. Elsewhere on the grounds, interpretive signs were added to introduce the ‘Harding Neighborhood’ to visitors.
The Harding Memorial is a circular monument of white marble and is suggestive of a round, Greek temple. Unlike a temple, though, there is neither a doorway nor a roof. Instead, it forms an open court described as a “cloister.” Being open to the sky provides space for a garden plot surrounding the tomb and honors President Harding’s wishes to be buried in a simple grave under a tree and under the stars.
A Greek Ionic colonnade stands in front of the circular wall forming the open court. The columns of this structure support a terrace filled with green plants and shrubbery. The two black granite tombstones, decorated only by two bronze wreaths at the heads of each stone, indicate the resting places of President Warren G. Harding and his wife, Florence Harding. The President’s wreath is designed with palm leaves, and Mrs. Harding’s wreath is adorned with roses. A bed of ivy covers the ground surrounding the tombstones. Enclosing the entire court and colonnade is a stance of 46 Doric Greek columns, stunning and majestic. The plan originally called for 48 columns, one for each state in Harding’s era, but money fell short and the design was amended.
The setting of the monument is open and uncluttered. Rows of elm trees form the shape of the Latin cross, with the tomb placed at the intersection of the arms of the cross. The main approach follows the tree of the cross. Behind the elms are clusters of trees and shrubbery. The entire memorial is built of Georgia white marble, furnished by the Georgia Marble Company of Tate, Georgia; the only variation from the plain, white marble is in the floor, where gray and white squares produce a mosaic style.
Henry Hombostel and Eric F. Wood of Pittsburgh, Pa., were the architects of the monument, and the structure cost $783,103.
On Oct. 11, 1923, shortly after President Harding’s death in August, the newly formed Harding Memorial Association started a nationwide fund-raising campaign to fund construction of a memorial.
Over a million contributors from all parts of the United States and the Philippines, as well as several European countries, contributed the sum of $977,821. Included in the list of contributors were about 200,000 schoolchildren who gathered pennies for the fund-raising effort.
While funds were being raised, the association also had to decide whether the memorial would be built in Washington, D.C., or in Marion. Many national leaders wanted the President buried in the nation’s capital. The memorial association, though, strongly felt that Harding would have preferred Marion as his final resting place.
Following President Harding’s death on Aug. 2, 1923, and his subsequent funeral, his body was placed in the Receiving Vault in Marion Cemetery until the memorial was completed. Florence died in 1924, and her body also was placed in the vault. The Hardings’ bodies were moved to the memorial and buried there in December 1927. President Herbert Hoover officially dedicated the memorial in 1931.
The Memorial was owned and supervised by the Harding Memorial Association from 1926 until 1979. In 1979, ownership of the Memorial, along with the Harding Home, was transferred to the State of Ohio. The Harding Memorial, Harding Home, and the Warren G. Harding Presidential Library and Museum are managed by the Ohio History Connection.
Public Use of the Harding Memorial
The Harding Memorial houses the gravesites of President and Mrs. Warren G. Harding. The site is public, but as with any public site, guidelines apply for its use. The Harding Memorial Presidential Gravesite encompasses the Memorial structure itself, as well as the 10 acres surrounding it. The following guidelines apply to the entire 10-acre site. Members of the public are encouraged to visit the gravesite, read the educational kiosk panels about the history of the site, and take photos of their visit. When viewing the gravesites in the Memorial, silence and respect are to be observed. At this historical gravesite:
1. Look around; explore
2. Take photographs for personal use
3. Keep pets on short leash and clean up after them. Please do not allow them on the Memorial structure itself.
4. Visit only during daylight hours year-round
Please, for the enjoyment of everyone, do not:
1. Litter
2. Use alcohol or controlled substances
3. Use metal detectors
4. Use drones
5. Ride bicycles, use roller-blades or skateboards
6. Park vehicles overnight
7. Disturb animals or plants
8. Remove or damage grounds, structures, natural and archaeological features
9. Drive heavy equipment, cars or trucks on sidewalks and lawns.
10. Engage in partisan political activities
11. Engage in recreational activities
12. Solicit funds
13. Engage in commercial activities
14. Operate a public address system in connection with a public event or special event without prior approval.
15. Place advertising, political or sale signs on the grounds or on the treelawns adjacent to the Memorial grounds.
16. Attach anything to the Memorial structure, either permanently or temporarily.
Public Use of the Harding Memorial and/or grounds
The Harding Memorial and grounds are extremely visible to the Marion community, and are a source of pride for our residents. Marionites, therefore, are protective of it. We encourage visitors to take photos and enjoy the setting. Partisan political gatherings are not permitted; participants are asked to exercise their rights to free speech only on the public sidewalks near the street. Small weddings are permitted at the site, with prior permission from the Harding Sites. Any gathering which impedes the public’s ability to use the parking lots or hampers the public’s ability to visit the Memorial structure is asked to first contact the Sites at 800.600.6894 or 740.387.9630, both as a courtesy to the Sites staff and to gather necessary information about guidelines.
Because the Harding Memorial is a presidential gravesite, the public is asked to ensure that their spontaneous and organized activities are appropriate and respectful of the setting. Your gathering must not detract from the mission of the Harding Memorial Presidential Gravesite, which is to respect, honor and educate others about our 29th President and First Lady.
The first phase of the newly constructed Warren G. Harding Presidential Library & Museum was finished in the spring of 2021. with the dedication of the museum taking place in September of 2021. The building was designed by Ohio History Connection architects Fred Smith and Beth McFarlane, with consultation from Korda/Nemeth Engineering of Columbus, and input from GPD Group architects, Marion.
The first phase encompasses the public spaces of the building: a lobby, gift shop, event space, exhibit gallery, catering kitchen, collections storage for historic objects, restrooms and storage. The second phase, will add a wing for administrative offices, conference room, research center and secure stacks room. The stacks will house the massive Harding Presidential Papers. With completion of both phases, the building will be 12,000 square feet. A roofed terrace, grass courtyard, garden areas and parking lot will highlight the landscaped grounds.
The project broke ground in March 2019 after several years of planning. Marker, Inc., of Columbus and Bellefontaine, was the construction manager.
A one-floor plan was chosen, providing ease of mobility for visitors and to ensure that the building did not overwhelm the adjacent Harding Home. The white brick, chosen for the exterior, brings to mind the White House, U.S. Capitol and Ohio Statehouse, all of which had connections with Warren Harding. Harding was an Ohio senator, Ohio lieutenant governor, U.S. senator and President of the United States. The stately columns surrounding the entrance and lining the terrace tie in those government buildings, as well as the porch of his nearby home and his final resting place, the Harding Memorial. Details abound. Stone inserts above each window feature the monogram used by the Hardings on their linens and stationery, giving the building a personal “Harding” touch. Arches used on the interior, augmented by art deco lighting fixtures, place the building in the Hardings’ time in history. Several stained glass windows, original to the Hardings’ era, also set the mood.
The exhibit gallery, designed by the Ohio History Connection’s Bill Mahon and his design team, offers visitors the Harding story through a mix of historic objects, media, text, music and sensory experiences. The exhibits are designed so historical objects can be changed, providing repeat visitors different perspectives. An elegant event space offers a place for public programming, children’s education, temporary exhibits and private events. Of great important is the temperature- and humidity-controlled collections storage area to house more than 5,000 historical objects.
The new Harding Presidential Library and restored Harding Home opened to the general public on May 12, 2021.
No, Florence was not dabbling in poison recipes. President Harding had congestive heart failure and suffered a fatal heart attack. Harding’s medical records from the western trip (the six-week trip during which he died) exist, and they show a man suffering from high blood pressure, chest pains, respiratory discomfort, indigestion, etc. Cardiac medicine was in its infancy, and these very recognizable symptoms to us were not automatic signals then for an impending catastrophic event.
The perpetrator of the Florence-poisoning story was Gaston Means, who dictated his “inside information” to May Dixon Thacker, who then wrote, The Strange Death of President Harding in 1930. Thacker was studying prison conditions in the South when she met Means, who was an inmate at the Atlanta Penitentiary. Thacker herself, shortly after publication, discredited the book, saying Means had duped her. The damage had been done, however, and the sensational story has remained a part of Harding lore. To learn more about Gaston Means and how the rumor was started, visit our YouTube Channel and watch The Original Flim-Flam Man: How Gaston Means Fooled a Nation.
No, Laddie is buried in an unknown location near Boston. In fact, Laddie never put a paw in Ohio. After the president’s death in 1923, Florence Harding gave the Airedale to Harry Barker, her favorite secret service agent. She knew her poor health wouldn’t allow her to care properly for the dog. Harry took Laddie home to his family in Boston, and the dog lived a very normal life and was much loved by the Barker family. Laddie’s death in 1929 was proclaimed in newspaper headlines across the country.
Although he belonged to many fraternal organizations, he never was a Klansman. In 1922, the Klan spread the story that the president was a Klansman, and that allegation was published in newspapers across the country. The president adamantly denied the story. The Klan’s smear campaign seemingly was retribution for an October 1921 speech Harding gave in Birmingham, calling for an end to inequality between the races in regard to political, economic and educational opportunities. The Klan also found that telling people the president was a Klansman was helpful in recruiting new members. The Klan was at the height of its popularity and membership in the early 1920s, with 4 million members and chapters in all 48 states.
While the rumor of Harding having African-American heritage had been around for much of his life, it did not gain much attention until the 1920 presidential campaign. College of Wooster professor William Estabrook Chancellor collected unsubstantiated statements from residents of his boyhood home in Blooming Grove that stated Harding had black ancestors. Harding did not give much attention to the rumors and Chancellor was asked to resign from the College of Wooster after he admitted to publishing his research with the college’s name attached to it without its permission. The rumor would continue to be in Harding lore for decades with authors arguing that Harding had mixed heritage. In 2015, DNA testing with two members of the Harding family was conducted and found “no detectable genetic signatures of sub-Saharan African heritage” and that there was less than a 5 percent chance that Harding had a black ancestor within four generations.
It’s true that he had a longtime affair (prior to the presidency) with a Marion woman named Carrie Phillips (she, like Harding, was married). The affair was off and on, with the pair often having long lapses between meetings. However, they communicated with long letters, as was the fashion in pre-email and cell phone days. Many of Harding’s side of the correspondence exist, but just a few drafts of letters from Phillips to him exist.
Marion native Nan Britton publicly stated (after Harding’s death) that the president was the father of her daughter, and much speculation existed through the years among historians over whether the allegation is true. Harding did not acknowledge a child in his will, which he updated in 1923 just two months prior to his death and left no instructions with anyone about providing financially for the child. Nan sued the Harding estate for money, but lost in court. She then wrote a book in 1927 entitled “The President’s Daughter.” In 2015, DNA testing was completed on two members of the Harding family and one from Britton’s family, confirming that they are related. The paternity question now is settled, but questions still remain about Britton’s romanticized version of the relationship as related in her book.
Gossip about trysts with other women remains just that. For more information on this topic, visit our Youtube channel and select The Harding Letters Revisited video.
The Teapot Dome Scandal, listed in tandem with Harding’s name in many history books, did not involve the president, research shows. In a nutshell, the scandal centered around Harding’s Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall (who served a year in the Harding Administration as he had planned). After Harding’s death in August 1923, Fall was investigated by Congress (and then tried in a criminal court) for accepting a $100,000 bribe in exchange for bypassing the open bid process. He awarded oil leases at Teapot Dome, Wy. to a pair of oilmen. Leasing government-owned oil lands was perfectly legal — the problem was the open-bid process.
The court proceedings, often involving comical and outlandish witnesses and bizarre behavior by Fall, were in the news during most of the 1920s. In the end, Fall was convicted of accepting the bribe; the oilmen were acquitted of giving it to him. Fall became the first Cabinet member to go to prison.
The Harding Presidential Sites and the Ohio History Connection take great pride in managing the vast collection of Harding related documents and artifacts. This collection includes the nearly 5,000 objects that were once owned by the Harding Family and the Harding Presidential Papers. The artifacts and Harding Presidential Papers will return to Marion, Ohio when the Warren G. Harding Presidential Library and Museum is completed. With the new Harding Presidential Library, this wonderful collection of Harding materials will be more accessible to the public.
In addition to the collections of the Harding Presidential Sites and The Ohio History Connection, several Harding collections are maintained through the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian. On this page, you will find several digital databases that are maintained by these entities that contain Harding related materials that are searchable.
Digital Collections
Ohio Memory is a collaborative program between the Ohio History Connection and the State Library of Ohio. This database includes digital content from over 390 cultural heritage institutions representing all 88 of Ohio’s counties covering a wide range of topics from prehistory to present day. Ohio Memory contains over 1,000,000 digital images from a variety of primary and secondary source image types, including: Photographs, maps, drawings and paintings Manuscripts, letters, diaries and journals Archaeological artifacts, natural history specimens and historical objects Newspapers, books and e-publications Audio and video Ohio memory contains pictures, newspapers, and other documents related to the Hardings from both before, during, and after the presidency. This website is keyword searchable.
The Online Collections Catalog is a digital database for all artifacts curated by the Ohio History Connection throughout the entire state. This searchable database contains the entire museum catalog for the Harding Presidential Sites.
The Ohio State Archives is a collection of documents from both local governments throughout the state and the state government. This collection contains documents relevant to Warren Harding's time in the Ohio Senate and during his time as Ohio's Lieutenant Governor.
This collection, maintained by the Library of Congress, consists primarily of letters written by President Harding (1865-1923), before and during his tenure as a U.S. senator, to his paramour Carrie Fulton Phillips (1873-1960), wife of a Marion, Ohio, store owner. Also included are drafts and notes for correspondence written by Phillips during her approximately fifteen-year relationship with Harding, as well as a handful of other related items.
Harding Home Presidential Site Researcher Jon Andersen leads a discussion about the dark side of President Harding’s well-intended service program for World War I’s injured soldiers, thanks to the antics of Director of the Veterans Bureau, Charles Forbes. This program was recorded at the Marion Public Library on November 8, 2018.
We are no strangers to crazy rumors and tall tales about the Hardings. Put on your fedoras and trench coats and let us introduce you to Gaston Means, the man behind one of the tallest tales in the history of the presidency. This program was recorded at the Marion Public Library on November 9, 2017.
Sherry Hall, former site director of the Harding Home & Memorial presents workshop session 3 of the 2017 Harding Symposium entitled, “The Real Return to Normalcy.” Hall lays out the Harding Administration’s Normalcy Program as the United States makes its transition from war time to peace time following World War I.
Ever hear of Inez McWhorter, or Bernice and Frank Blacksten? They worked for Warren and Florence Harding and provide great insight into the inner workings of the household. Join Harding Home Presidential Site researcher Jon Anderson as we get a behind the scenes look at life at the Harding Home. This program was filmed on August 4, 2016 at OSU Marion.
Was Carrie Phillips really Warren Harding’s true love? And how did Nan Britton fit into the whole scenario? Harding Home site manager Sherry Hall takes another look at the letters from Warren Harding to Carrie Phillips and the recent DNA evidence concerning Nan Britton to put together the story of Harding’s love life. This program was filmed on October 23, 2015 at Marion Technical College.
Did you know that the Ku Klux Klan was alive and well in every state in the nation in the 1920s — including Ohio? Harding Home former site manager Sherry Hall discusses how the Klan infiltrated small-town America, including towns like Marion! This program was recorded on October 15, 2015 at Marion Technical College.
This program features Harding Home Presidential Site researcher Jon Anderson, as he discusses some of the more questionable players on the fringes of the Harding Administration. Jon will introduce you to Attorney General Harry Daugherty, his pal Jess Smith, campaign insider Howard Manington and the unscrupulous Gaston Means. This program was filmed on August 13, 2015 at the Harding Home Presidential Site.
Warren G. Harding: Newspaperman and President: Warren G. Harding is the only American president to have owned a newspaper, the Marion Daily Star in Ohio. Former Harding Presidential Site Director Sherry Hall talked about the 29th president’s unique relationship with the White House press corps and the impact it had on his presidency. This program was part of the annual Warren G. Harding Symposium hosted by Ohio State University at Marion and was recorded by C-SPAN on July 21, 2018.
Modern First Ladies Part 1: The annual Warren G. Harding Symposium partnered with the National First Ladies’ Library to present “The Modern First Ladies: Portraits in Contrast.” Sherry Hall, Cynthia Bittinger, and Annette Dunlap examine the dramatic variety of styles and approaches brought to the role of First Lady by Florence Harding, Grace Coolidge, and Lou Hoover. This panel entitled “Paving the Way” was recorded live by C-SPAN on July 18, 2015.