How much was Warren Harding worth?
| Net Worth: | $1 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | 29th U.S. President |
| Date of Birth: | November 2, 1865 |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 1.83 m |
About Warren Harding
The 29th president of the United States, Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) had an estimated net worth of $1 million. He presided over the country from 1921 until his death in 1923. During his third year in office, Ohio Republican Warren Harding passed away while traveling the country by train. Following his enigmatic passing, it was revealed that Warren Harding had engaged in numerous adulterous liaisons and that his cabinet was seriously corrupt. He is regarded by many historians as one of the worst American Presidents.
- Dates: November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923
- Also Known As: Warren G. Harding, President Warren Harding
As a child
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the first of eight children born to Phoebe (née Dickerson) and George Tryon Harding on a farm close to Corsica, Ohio, on November 2, 1865. Tryon, Harding’s father, was not only a farmer but also a business buyer and seller (later he also became a doctor). Harding’s father relocated his family to Caledonia, Ohio, in 1875 after purchasing the Caledonia Argus, a failing newspaper. After school, Harding, then 10 years old, learned how to lay type, clean the printing press, and sweep the floor.
In the age of 14, Harding enrolled at Ohio Central College in Iberia, the school his father attended, where he studied Latin, math, science, and philosophy. Harding, who had a rich voice and was an excellent writer and debater, formed the school newspaper, the Spectator. At the age of 17, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree and then started looking for employment.
An Appropriate Career
Warren Harding started working as a schoolmaster at White Schoolhouse in Marion, Ohio, in 1882, but he hated it so much that he left before the school year was up. Harding attempted to study law with a Marion lawyer as a tutor on the recommendation of his father. That bored him, so he gave up. After that, he attempted to sell insurance, but he made an expensive error and had to make up the difference. He left.
The Marion Star, another failing publication, was acquired by Tryon in May 1884, and he appointed his son editor. In addition to human interest tales, Harding covered his growing interest in Republican politics as he succeeded in this line of work. Harding and two pals, Jack Warwick and Johnnie Sickle, combined their funds to purchase the Marion Star when his father was forced to sell it to settle a debt.
Sickle quickly lost interest and sold Harding his part. In a poker game, Warwick lost his share to Harding, but he continued to work as a reporter. Warren Harding, who was then 19 years old, was the Marion Star’s editor as well as its only owner.
A Fitting Wife
tall, attractive Warren Harding, now a prominent figure in Marion, began dating Florence Kling DeWolfe, the daughter of his biggest rival. Florence was five years older than Harding, recently divorced, and unassuming but aspirational.
Florence Kling’s father, Amos Kling, supported the Marion Independent, a rival newspaper, and made it known that he did not want his daughter to date Harding. Amos Kling was also one of Marion’s wealthiest men. The pair was unaffected by this, though. Amos Kling declined to attend the marriage of 31-year-old Florence and 26-year-old Warren Harding on July 8, 1891.
After two and a half years of marriage, Harding started having frequent, acute stomach pain episodes as a result of exhaustion and anxiety. While Harding was recuperating at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan, his business manager at the Marion Star resigned, and Florence, whom Harding referred to as “the Duchess,” took over.
In order to provide the county with international news within 24 hours of its occurrence, Florence signed up for a news wire service. The Hardings were regarded as one of Marion’s most illustrious couples as a result of the Marion Star’s enormous success. The couple used their abundant fortune to construct a green-shingled Victorian home on Mount Vernon Avenue in Marion, host their neighbors, and mend their marriage to Amos.
An increase in political and romantic interest
Warren Harding declared his intention in running for state senator as a Republican in the Marion Star on July 5, 1899. Harding started his campaign after receiving the Republican Party’s nomination. Harding won the election and was elected to the Ohio State Senate in Columbus, Ohio, thanks to his capacity to compose and deliver persuasive speeches with an expressive voice.
Harding was well-liked for his attractiveness, humor, and enthusiasm for a poker game. Florence oversaw the Marion Star, her husband’s funds, and his contacts. In 1901, Harding won reelection for a second term.
Two years later, with Republican Myron Herrick running for governor, Harding received a nomination to run for lieutenant governor. Together, they took home the victory and completed the 1904–1906 term. As the party squabbled within itself, Harding acted as a mediator and compromiser. The Herrick and Harding ticket was defeated by Democratic challengers the next election.
Florence underwent urgent kidney surgery in 1905, and Harding started an affair with his next-door neighbor Carrie Phillips. The 15-year-long affair was kept under wraps.
Harding was the Republican contender for governor of Ohio in 1909, but Judson Harmon, the Democratic candidate, won the election. Harding returned to his newspaper profession while continuing to be active in politics.
Despite the fact that Harding did not end the affair when Florence learned of it in 1911, she chose not to divorce her husband.
Harding ran for office and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1914.
Warren Harding, senator
After relocating to Washington in 1915, Senator Warren Harding quickly established himself as a popular senator. His colleagues liked him again for his willingness to play poker, but they also liked him because he never made enemies, which was a natural result of his avoiding both conflict and contentious votes.
The phrase “Founding Fathers” was first used by Harding in a 1916 keynote speech at the Republican National Convention, and it is still in use today.
When it came time to vote on starting World War I in Europe in 1917, Harding’s mistress, a German sympathizer, threatened to make his love letters public if he supported the war. Always willing to make concessions, Senator Harding declared that the United States had no authority to dictate any nation what form of government they should have before joining the majority of senators in voting to declare war. Phillips seems satisfied.
Soon after, Nan Britton, an acquaintance from Marion, Ohio, wrote to Senator Harding asking if he could help her land a position in a Washington, D.C., office. Harding got her a job at the workplace and then started an illicit relationship with her. Elizabeth Ann Harding, Harding’s daughter, was born to Britton in 1919. Harding provided Britton money to support his daughter even though he didn’t officially acknowledge the child.
Warren Harding, the president
The Republican National Convention in 1920 selected Senator Warren Harding, who had been in the Senate for six years at that point, as one of their candidates for the presidential nomination during the final weeks of President Woodrow Wilson’s administration. Warren Harding was chosen as the Republican nominee after the first three candidates faltered for various reasons. The Harding and Coolidge ticket, which featured Calvin Coolidge as his running partner, faced off against the Democratic ticket of James M. Cox and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Warren Harding ran a front-porch campaign from his Marion, Ohio, home rather than going across the nation. He pledged to bring the defeated country back to peace, normalcy, a robust economy, and independence from outside meddling.
Knowing the influence of newspapers, Florence was open with reporters, revealing her cooking skills as well as her political opinions on the League of Nations and suffrage. Before the election, Phillips was paid hush money and dispatched on a global tour. The Hardings hosted actors and actresses in their Victorian home in exchange for sponsorships. With an extraordinary 60% of the vote, Warren Harding won the race.
On March 4, 1921, Florence Harding, 60, and Warren Harding, 55, were sworn in as the 29th President and Vice President, respectively. In addition to holding a disarmament conference to serve as a replacement for the League of Nations, President Harding established the Bureau of the Budget to monitor government spending. He requested support for the country’s road network, government oversight of the radio sector, and the conversion of a portion of the U.S. Navy fleet for use in the merchant marine.
Additionally, Harding advocated for women’s suffrage and outspokenly denounced lynching (mob executions of individuals, usually by white supremists). Harding felt it was Congress’ responsibility to enact laws and policies, thus he refrained from exerting any pressure. Many of Harding’s recommendations were not implemented because of Republican-led Congress’s squabbles.
corrupting the cabinet
In 1922, Charles Forbes was named head of the Soldiers’ Bureau in Washington and abused his position as the First Lady fought for World War I injured veterans. The Veterans’ Bureau received $500 million to construct and run ten veterans hospitals around the country. With this enormous budget, Forbes awarded his pals in the construction industry the building contracts, allowing them to overcharge the government.
Additionally, Forbes claimed that the arriving goods were damaged and then sold them at deep discounts to a Boston-based business in exchange for a covert kickback. After purchasing new supplies for ten times their value from other business associates, Forbes even supplied booze to unlicensed bootleggers during Prohibition.
President Harding sent for Forbes after learning about his behavior. Harding shook Forbes by the neck as a result of his intense rage. But in the end, Harding relented and accepted Forbes’ resignation, but the President was still troubled by Forbes’ treachery.
Understanding Voyage
President Harding, the First Lady, and their support crew, which included their doctor, Dr. Sawyer, and the doctor’s assistant, Dr. Boone, boarded the Superb, a ten-car train, on June 20, 1923, to travel cross-country on the “Voyage of Understanding.” The purpose of the two-month tour was for the President to convince the country to approve membership in the Permanent Court of International Justice, a global tribunal that adjudicates international conflicts. Harding recognized an opportunity to make a lasting impression on history.
By the time he arrived in Tacoma, Washington, President Harding was worn out from speaking to enthused crowds. He nevertheless embarked on a boat for a four-day excursion to Alaska, becoming the first president to do so. Herbert Hoover, the secretary of commerce and the next president of the United States, accompanied the trip. Harding questioned him if he would expose a major corruption in the administration if he heard about it. Hoover promised to do it out of moral obligation. Harding didn’t know what to do, but he kept thinking about Forbes’ betrayal.
President Harding’s passing
In Seattle, President Harding experienced excruciating stomach cramps. To rest, Harding was given a suite at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. The President’s heart was enlarged, according to Dr. Sawyer, and there were other signs of heart illness, but Dr. Boone believed the President had food poisoning.
The 57-year-old President Warren Harding passed away in his sleep on the evening of August 2, 1923. Warren Harding’s net worth was estimated to be $1 million at the time of his passing.
Florence declined to have an autopsy performed, which at the time raised suspicions. As a result, Harding’s body was embalmed right away.
As Vice President Calvin Coolidge took the oath of office as the 30th President, Harding’s body was placed in a coffin, transported back to Washington, D.C., on the Superb. As it passed through various cities and villages along the way, mourners observed the train decked in black streamers. After his interment in Marion, Ohio, Florence went back to Washington, D.C., and cleared out her husband’s office, burning a lot of papers she thought may hurt his reputation in his fireplace. Her behavior was ineffective.
Scandals Made Public
In 1924, a legislative investigation revealed that Forbes had cost the American government more than $200 million, causing embarrassment for President Harding’s administration.
The investigation also uncovered more corruption within the cabinet, such as the Teapot Dome Scandal, in which Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall, a different cabinet member, leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome, Wyoming, to private oil companies for cheap prices without conducting a competitive bidding process. Fall was found guilty of receiving kickbacks from the oil industry.
Furthermore, Harding’s romance with Britton was made public in 1927 in Nan Britton’s book The President’s Daughter, further defaming the 29th president of the United States.
Although the reason of President Harding’s death was not known at the time—some even thought Florence had poisoned Harding—doctors now believe that he suffered a heart attack.
