Harding, Warren (Administration)

Warren G. Harding was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his sudden death in 1923. Prior to becoming the Republican presidential candidate, he had been a member of the Ohio Senate and then a U.S. Senator. Harding’s administration is primarily remembered for the scandals that engulfed it, and particularly for the Teapot Dome Scandal, in which Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall was convicted of accepting bribes in exchange for oil leases on public lands. The Teapot Dome Scandal and other administration scandals that involved bribery and influence-peddling were attributed to Harding’s reliance on “the Ohio gang,” a group of friends who served both as official and unofficial advisors while he was in office.

The historical focus on scandals, however, diverts ...