On this day in 1865, 29th president Warren Harding was born in Blooming Grove, Ohio
November 2
An event every year that begins at 12:00 am on day 2 of November, repeating indefinitely
On this day in 1865, 29th president Warren Harding was born in Blooming Grove, Ohio. (He and James Polk are the only two presidents to share a birthday.) Harding’s term was marred by scandals as administration officials used their positions for personal gain. As president and politician, he did not take strong positions but did tend to favor the pro-business policy.
Though many of his associates were dishonest fraudsters, Harding also chose distinguished men for his administration, such as Herbert Hoover and Calvin Coolidge, who themselves later served as president.
Did you know? A story right out of a spy thriller, Harding’s mistress Carrie Phillips, a German-sympathizer, tried to blackmail the then-senator into voting against a declaration of war on Germany during World War I. Harding refused and shortly after she was paid off by party officials.
Portrait of Warren G. Harding, Edmund Hodgson Smart, 1922
