Warren G. Harding may be best known as America's worst president. His administration was marked by scandal: the Teapot Dome Affair, corruption in the Veterans Bureau and the Justice Department, and the posthumous revelation of a child of an extra-marital affair. Raised in a small town in Ohio, Harding took hold of a failing weekly newspaper and turned it into a success. Showing a talent for local politics, he rose from state senator to lieutenant governor, running unsuccessfully for governor in 1910; four years later, he ...
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Warren G. Harding may be best known as America's worst president. His administration was marked by scandal: the Teapot Dome Affair, corruption in the Veterans Bureau and the Justice Department, and the posthumous revelation of a child of an extra-marital affair. Raised in a small town in Ohio, Harding took hold of a failing weekly newspaper and turned it into a success. Showing a talent for local politics, he rose from state senator to lieutenant governor, running unsuccessfully for governor in 1910; four years later, he was elected U.S. Senator. With his middle-of-the-road political views, he was seen as a unifier in Congress and became quite popular. He was nominated for the presidency due to a stalemate between the other two Republican hopefuls. As president he passed legislation limiting the number of immigrants, set the highest tariffs in U.S. history, persuaded Congress to adopt unified federal budget creation, and reduced income tax and the national debt. In this wise and compelling biography, John W. Dean--no stranger to controversy himself--explores the truths and explodes the myths surrounding our 29th president's tarnished legacy.
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Dean's book continues his slant towards liberalism, emphasizing Harding's "growth" in office and against the earlier conservative 1920 campaign promises that got him elected.
