Potus Geeks Book Review: The Jazz Age President - Defending Warren G. Harding by Ryan S. Walters
As has been said so often in this community, Warren Harding's ranking as one of the worst US Presidents is probably undeserved. He was a much better man and a much better President than history gives him credit for. Author Ryan S. Walters agrees, and this is the purpose and theme of his 2022 work The Jazz Age President: Defending Warren G. Harding.
Harding's legacy is maligned for the scandals within his administration that were uncovered following his death, and for his poker playing and womanizing image as a sort of "Good Time Charlie" President. But as Walters points out in his book, there was much in Harding's presidency that presidential historians have buried and have forgotten. These include Harding's stellar record in the field of civil right for African-Americans, his rehabilitation of the post-war economy, his tandem reduction of taxes and government spending and his efforts at achieving world peace through international cooperation. Harding once courageously spoke to a crowd in the deep south in Birmingham, Alabama at a time when the Jim Crow laws were in their heyday, talking about the need for equal rights for African-Americans, many of whom listened to the speech behind a segregated barrier. He convened an International Peace Conference and made other efforts at achieving an end to war, for which he was twice nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. He retired a large portion of the post-war national debt while at the same time cutting taxes and he presided over a healthy economy. He was also, by all accounts, even those of his political enemies, a very kind man and a decent human being, who loved his enemies but was vexed by his friends. Yet Harding is hardly remembered for any of this.
In the aftermath of Harding's death in 1923 in San Francisco while on a western tour that had taken him to Canada and Alaska, the scandals of his administration were uncovered, perpetrated not by Harding himself, but by some poor choices he made in appointments to important government positions. Almost immediately, Harding's reputation received a near-fatal blow, undeserved in Walters' opinion. Things got so bad that even his supposed friend and successor Calvin Coolidge would not attend the dedication of Harding's memorial because doing so was too much of a political liability.
Walters makes the argument, quite convincingly, that Harding may not have been a great president, but he was at least a good president. The author examines Harding's overlooked and underestimated career in the US senate and dispels the myth that Harding was chosen as his party's candidate in a "smoke filled room" because he was seen as compliant with party bosses. He examines Harding's stewardship of the US economy and how he led the nation out of a post-war depression, his role as a "national healer" and as a peacemaker, and his espousing of forward-thinking principles such as racial equality and care for disabled veterans. Walters also does not shy away from the scandals, acknowledging Harding's mistake of trusting those unworthy of trust, while also examining the action Harding took when becoming aware of them.
One small point of nit-picking. Walters is in error when on page 57 he lists William Henry Harrison as one of the many Presidents born in Ohio (Harrison was born in Virginia, but lived in modern day Ohio and is buried near Cincinnati). But don't let this put you off reading this book. It is a minor irritant only to the most geekiest of us.
There is no doubt that Walters is a cheerleader for Harding, but not without good reason. In the aftermath of Harding's death, many presidential historians presented unbalanced and unfavorable accounts, particularly of Republican Presidents such as Harding, Coolidge and Hoover, who were often maligned for their unpopular-at-the-time views on civil rights. Walters attempts to right the ship of history by shining a spotlight on Harding's many unheralded impressive achievements as President, while at the same time acknowledging the reasons why Harding's legacy is tarnished. Those wishing to explore presidential history with an open mind, accepting of diversity of though, would do well to read this book.
Harding's legacy is maligned for the scandals within his administration that were uncovered following his death, and for his poker playing and womanizing image as a sort of "Good Time Charlie" President. But as Walters points out in his book, there was much in Harding's presidency that presidential historians have buried and have forgotten. These include Harding's stellar record in the field of civil right for African-Americans, his rehabilitation of the post-war economy, his tandem reduction of taxes and government spending and his efforts at achieving world peace through international cooperation. Harding once courageously spoke to a crowd in the deep south in Birmingham, Alabama at a time when the Jim Crow laws were in their heyday, talking about the need for equal rights for African-Americans, many of whom listened to the speech behind a segregated barrier. He convened an International Peace Conference and made other efforts at achieving an end to war, for which he was twice nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. He retired a large portion of the post-war national debt while at the same time cutting taxes and he presided over a healthy economy. He was also, by all accounts, even those of his political enemies, a very kind man and a decent human being, who loved his enemies but was vexed by his friends. Yet Harding is hardly remembered for any of this.
In the aftermath of Harding's death in 1923 in San Francisco while on a western tour that had taken him to Canada and Alaska, the scandals of his administration were uncovered, perpetrated not by Harding himself, but by some poor choices he made in appointments to important government positions. Almost immediately, Harding's reputation received a near-fatal blow, undeserved in Walters' opinion. Things got so bad that even his supposed friend and successor Calvin Coolidge would not attend the dedication of Harding's memorial because doing so was too much of a political liability.
Walters makes the argument, quite convincingly, that Harding may not have been a great president, but he was at least a good president. The author examines Harding's overlooked and underestimated career in the US senate and dispels the myth that Harding was chosen as his party's candidate in a "smoke filled room" because he was seen as compliant with party bosses. He examines Harding's stewardship of the US economy and how he led the nation out of a post-war depression, his role as a "national healer" and as a peacemaker, and his espousing of forward-thinking principles such as racial equality and care for disabled veterans. Walters also does not shy away from the scandals, acknowledging Harding's mistake of trusting those unworthy of trust, while also examining the action Harding took when becoming aware of them.
One small point of nit-picking. Walters is in error when on page 57 he lists William Henry Harrison as one of the many Presidents born in Ohio (Harrison was born in Virginia, but lived in modern day Ohio and is buried near Cincinnati). But don't let this put you off reading this book. It is a minor irritant only to the most geekiest of us.
There is no doubt that Walters is a cheerleader for Harding, but not without good reason. In the aftermath of Harding's death, many presidential historians presented unbalanced and unfavorable accounts, particularly of Republican Presidents such as Harding, Coolidge and Hoover, who were often maligned for their unpopular-at-the-time views on civil rights. Walters attempts to right the ship of history by shining a spotlight on Harding's many unheralded impressive achievements as President, while at the same time acknowledging the reasons why Harding's legacy is tarnished. Those wishing to explore presidential history with an open mind, accepting of diversity of though, would do well to read this book.