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OVERVIEW
President Harding often tops the polls as being one of America’s worst presidents. He his remembered in such
a negative light as a result of the scandals associated with him and his administration. Due to the fact that he
was connected to so many “shady” scandals, if he had a smart phone in the 1920’s he would most likely prefer
snapchat as his means of communication. He wouldn’t want his unethical interactions found as evidence on his
phone. Use your knowledge of Harding’s presidency to complete his snapchat profile and messages below.
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DIRECTIONS:
Use your notes along with this page of additional information on Harding’s scandals to create 4 snapshats either to or from
president Harding. The snapchats need to be in full color, include a text message and relate to one of the four scandals below.
VETERANS BUREAU SCANDAL
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SCANDAL
Colonel Charles R. Forbes, an acquaintance of Warren
Harding, was appointed to head the recently created
Veterans' Bureau. It was later revealed that Forbes entered
into corrupt arrangements with a number of contractors,
particularly with those involved in the operation of
hospitals, and sold government property at a fraction of its
value. Charles F. Cramer, attorney for the bureau,
committed suicide, which brought increased attention to
the agency. In 1923, Forbes resigned his position and fled
to Europe.
Undoubtedly one of Harding’s worst appointments was that of Harry M.
Daugherty as attorney general. Daugherty was a lawyer, political advisor
and friend of the president dating to earlier times in Ohio.
Daugherty was suspected of profiting from the sale of government alcohol
supplies, failing to enforce prohibition statutes, and the selling of pardons.
Embarrassment was delivered to the administration's doorstep through
the actions of Jesse W. Smith, a friend of the attorney general and a
member of the so-called Ohio Gang.
A Senate investigation in 1924 found that Forbes had
looted more than $200 million from the government. He
was subsequently indicted for bribery and corruption, and
was brought back for trial in 1925. He was convicted, fined
$10,000 and sentenced to two years in Leavenworth.
TEA POT DOME SCANDAL
Early in the Harding administration, Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby
persuaded the president to transfer responsibility of some of the Navy
Department’s oil reserves to the Department of the Interior. Oil fields at
Elk Hills, California, and Teapot Dome near Casper, Wyoming, were
involved.
Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall, a former senator from New Mexico,
secretly leased the Wyoming reserve to oilman Harry F. Sinclair in April
1922; a few months later the California lands were similarly leased to
Edward L. Doheny. Neither of these transactions was opened to
competitive bidding.
In 1923, a Senate investigation was opened by Thomas J. Walsh of
Montana. It was found that Secretary Fall had received more than
$400,000 in "loans" for assisting Sinclair and Doheny.
The leases associated with the Teapot Dome Scandal were canceled in
1927, a move that was challenged by the oil companies. The Federal
District Court of Wyoming held the lease valid, but the decision was
reversed by the Circuit COurt and the reversal was upheld by the Supreme
Court later that year on October 27.
In 1929, Fall was convicted of taking a bribe, fined $100,000 and
sentenced to a year in prison. His fall from grace earned him the
distinction of becoming the first cabinet officer to be jailed for crimes
committed in office.
Smith had received an appointment from Daugherty, but his subsequent
unsatisfactory performance included corrupt involvement with the Alien
Property Custodian and taking bribes to settle matters before the Justice
Department. Harding asked that Smith be sent back to Ohio, but Smith
committed suicide in May 1923, which caused considerable discomfort for
the administration.
Daugherty was dismissed by Calvin Coolidge in March 1924. The new
president showed only moderate interest in pursuing the perpetrators of
the Harding scandals, but made certain that his administration was not
guilty of similar infractions. Daugherty was later charged with defrauding
the government. In his 1927 trial, he asserted his Fifth Amendment
protection against self-incrimination and was eventually acquitted.
YOU ARE THE FATHER!?
Nan P. Britton claimed that she had an affair with President
Warren G. Harding, an Ohioan. She also claimed that
Harding was the father of her daughter, Elizabeth Ann.
Britton was born on November 9, 1896, in Marion, Ohio. As
a teenager, she developed a crush on Harding, who, at the
time, was editor of the Marion Daily Star. Harding and
Britton's father were friends, and Harding supposedly knew
of Nan Britton's infatuation with him.
In 1927, Britton authored a book, The President's Daughter,
about her affair with Harding. Harding had died in 1923. In
her book, Britton claimed that Harding was her daughter's
father. According to Britton, Harding had promised to
support his daughter financially, but his family refused to
do so after his death. Publication of Britton's book caused
people to further view Harding in a negative manner.
Britton died on March 21, 1991. Until her death, she
insisted that her daughter was the offspring of Harding.
Doheny and Sinclair used their wealth to hire expert counsel and were
acquitted in their own trials. However, Sinclair was later convicted on a
lesser charge of contempt for refusing to provide testimony to a Senate
committee.
There was no reasonable suggestion that Harding either knew about this
affair or profited from it. His failure was not greed, but rather making
some poor choices for cabinet positions and failing to monitor them. The
Teapot Dome Scandal was lasting blot on the record of his administration.
Info from: http://www.u-s-history.com/