Warren G. Harding Memorial photograph

This photograph shows a crowd gathered in front of the tomb of Warren G. Harding (1865-1923). Harding originally started out as the owner of a newspaper without much success. After becoming married, his wife used her money to help his newspaper succeed. Soon his newspaper became a roaring success and was widely read throughout the region. When 1898 came, Harding had decided to enter into politics, and gained a seat in the state legislature twice. He also served as lieutenant governor for a short time. Harding didn't hold any office for a period of years as he focused on his newspaper, but 1914 saw him become a U.S. Senator. His policies were generally pro-business, and he also was a proponent of Prohibition. For whatever reason, Harding chronically missed voting in the Senate, he was absent for over half of them. 1920 saw Harding elected as president as a Republican. Harding's pro-business policies and his cutting taxes set the Roaring Twenties in motion, which eventually backfired when the Great Depression struck. Harding is seen as generally a weak president, rather than make decisions himself, much of the decision making was done by his cabinet. This would turn out badly for Harding as his administration was hit by the infamous Teapot Dome Scandal. His Secretary of the Interior made an illegal deal with men in the oil industry, illegally giving them access to land owned by the government. As if this was not bad enough for the administration, other officials were known to take kickbacks and steal money from the government. In addition, Harding was known to illegally consume liquor, violating a law he himself supported. More sordid tales spread of his supposed infidelity. He was succeeded by his Vice President Calvin Coolidge after he died in office in 1923