Warren G. (Warren Gamaliel) Harding

Born near Corsica, Ohio, in 1865, Warren G. Harding built his early career in Marion, where he became publisher of the Marion Star. His easygoing public style and gift for politics helped carry him from local influence to the Ohio senate, then to the U.S. Senate, and finally to the presidency.

Harding won the 1920 election by a wide margin, presenting himself as a steady, reassuring figure after war and political turmoil. As president, he backed policies that favored business and limited government, and he spoke of a national “return to normalcy,” a phrase that became closely tied to his name.

His administration was later overshadowed by major scandals involving some of the men he appointed, most famously the Teapot Dome affair. Harding died in office in 1923 during a western trip, leaving behind one of the more debated legacies in American political history: a personally popular president whose administration became a symbol of corruption and missed opportunity.