WARREN G. HARDING (R) - 1921-1923
Harding often ranks lowest in presidential polls, but when I look at what he actually accomplished as president, I don't know how fair that is. He helped get the country out of the post World War I depression. He also surrounded himself with some of the worst scoundrels to ever have access to the White House, and that must ultimately tip the scales. Had Harding lived, it's hard to say if the corruption would have been worse, or if any new policies could have overshadowed them.
The 29th president had to fill a leadership vacuum when Woodrow Wilson's term finally ended. His affable nature, his comfort with the press, his openness in the Oval office all seemed to indicate he'd be a good leader. He did start the Bureau of Veteran Affairs, cut taxes to jump-start the economy, argued for reconciliation with Germany while being opposed to the League of Nations, and presided over a drastic reduction in unemployment. His attempts at anti-lynching legislation were killed in Congress. His re-election still seemed a shoo-in when he died suddenly. Then the truth came out. The dishonesty of the "Ohio Gang", the Teapot Dome scandal, and the affairs hurt, and for decades he's been the main one to take the blame for what led to the Great Depression.
It's really the hypocrisy he and his men exhibited during Prohibition that's the sore thumb. Bribes, grafts, and payoffs were common. Bootlegging boomed as a business for a criminal few thanks to the underhanded ways. More than one government official committed suicide (or was murdered, who can say). Harding kept his own liquor stash. He squandered his time.
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