Florence Harding

First Lady

• Born: August 15, 1860
• Birthplace: Marion, Ohio
• Died: November 21, 1924
• Place of death: Marion, Ohio

President:Warren G. Harding, 1921-1923

Overview

Florence Harding was among the most popular of First Ladies. Vocal in her support of women’s equality, in her concern for World War I veterans, and in her campaign for humane societies, she carved out her own niche in the White House. Yet suspicion will forever cloud her accomplishments because of the sudden death of her philandering husband, Warren G. Harding, and the rumor that she poisoned him. In truth, Florence Harding was a dominant force in Warren’s administration who loved her husband immensely and protected his and her own images fiercely.

Early Life

Florence, the first child of Amos and Louisa Kling, was born above her father’s store on August 15, 1860, in Marion, Ohio. Mystery surrounded her paternal heritage, as her father attempted to hide his German, and possibly Jewish, ancestry. Florence’s maternal family had a more distinguished background, having descended from prominent French Huguenots. When Louisa announced her pregnancy, the domineering Amos declared his first child would be a boy. Neighbors wondered how Amos would deal with a daughter instead. According to local residents, he simply decided to raise her as a son.

For Flossie, as Florence was called, growing up in Marion was comforting and stifling at the same time. Through various business ventures, her father was becoming wealthy and powerful. Though devoting little time to his wife and two young sons, Amos strove to “make” Flossie into a boy by providing her with an excellent education, some argue because he saw in her elements of himself. Of the three children, Florence was indeed the most like Amos. She had his temperament and his ambition. Not surprisingly, as Flossie entered her teen years, she and Amos clashed over what Florence felt were his controlling ways.

Except for a brief stint in Cincinnati to study piano, Florence spent her youth in Marion, eventually challenging her father by missing her curfew and staying out late. It is unclear exactly what she was doing those nights; however, she did become close to Henry “Petey” DeWolfe, and by January, 1880, Florence was pregnant. Dispute exists over whether Petey was truly the father, yet he took responsibility for the child.

According to legend, the couple ran off in March, 1880, to a justice of the peace. Although Florence began to use the title Mrs. DeWolfe, research reveals that they never officially married. It is unclear if Petey refused to get married or if Florence decided against it, yet they told everyone they had “tied the knot.” Amos reacted bitterly, cutting off all ties with Florence. Petey attempted to support his new wife and his son, Eugene (Marshall) DeWolfe, Jr., born on September 22, 1880, but his alcoholism interfered. On December 22, 1882, Petey left Florence and Marshall with no money to pay the rent or buy food. She found a room, rented a piano, and began giving lessons. Unwilling to ask her father for help, Florence struggled to support herself and Marshall. In 1884, after Florence filed for separation and divorce from Petey, Amos offered Florence a deal: He would raise Marshall as a Kling, and Florence would be relieved of all financial burdens. Faced with that offer, Florence gave up her child.

A new chapter in her life now opened. Florence met and became interested in Warren G. Harding, the young owner and editor of the Marion Star. Although he was five years younger than she, Florence was immediately attracted to his dark good looks and bright blue eyes. People wondered about the pairing, but Warren seemed to genuinely appreciate Florence’s quick wit, intelligence, and drive. For Florence, Warren was interesting and, although she found him somewhat lazy, had charm and charisma, which she felt could take him places. Amos was furious about the match. While it is unclear what reasons he had for disliking Harding, the reason he gave was a persistent rumor in Marion that Harding had Negro blood.

Marriage and Family

In anticipation of her marriage, Florence became involved in the financial operations of the Star. She was quite capable of handling the paper’s finances, something Warren disliked and was glad to turn over to her. She collected money owed the paper and set the business on firm monetary ground. This, in turn, provided the capital Warren needed to complete their house in Marion; Florence had contributed to the blueprints. Eventually, on July 8, 1891, before three hundred guests in their new home, Florence and Warren wed. Reportedly, Florence was pleased, but her ambition did not wane. She claimed that next she would “make him president.” She refused to wear a wedding ring because she felt to do so detracted from a woman’s own accomplishments.

During the next few years, while Florence focused on managing the Star and the Harding finances, Warren suffered from health problems. Not long after their wedding, he had his second nervous breakdown in four years. In 1894, he checked into a sanatorium, in which he stayed for almost a year. Florence continued to run the paper, and he was quite impressed when he returned to Marion in late 1894. Acknowledging that Florence, or as he called her, “the Duchess,” was essential at home and work meant, however, that he also faced jokes about his “manly wife” and questions about who “wore the pants” in the family. Perhaps that helps explain Warren’s penchant for extramarital affairs. His natural desire for female companionship, coupled with his feelings of inadequacy next to Florence, made Warren seek out conquests. Three years into his marriage, he began a relationship with one of Florence’s closest friends, Susan Hodder, and fathered a baby girl, Marion Louise. While it is unclear when or how Florence discovered the affair, she wrote about the betrayal in her diary and how much hurt Warren had caused her. This only made Warren work harder to keep future conquests from Florence.

A new, growing passion in Warren’s life was politics. A devout Republican in the Democrat stronghold of Marion, Warren was a member of the Republican County Committee. In this capacity, he became involved in many civic activities. He belonged to several clubs and cultivated a wide circle of friends and potential supporters. When the Republican state office suggested that Warren run for the vacant state senate seat in his area, which included some Republican districts, Florence’s ambition for her husband swung into full gear. She goaded and cajoled Warren to get him to run, and ultimately he was elected. Florence accompanied him to Columbus, Ohio, and shocked some observers by her refusal to allow Warren out of her sight. In 1904, Warren was elected lieutenant governor of Ohio.

In the middle of his term, Florence suffered an attack of nephritis, a kidney infection which threatened her life. Her recuperation was extensive and meant that she could no longer keep an eye on Warren. Alone and carefree, he embarked on another romance, this time with Carrie Phillips, the wife of his friend Jim. The Hardings and Phillipses traveled together, but both Jim and Florence were unaware of the infidelity. For Warren, Carrie was the love of his life; their relationship lasted fifteen years. Florence discovered the affair in 1911 and contemplated divorce. However, she truly loved Warren and believed she could accomplish goals and be happy as his wife. Warren also chose to stay in the marriage; in Florence he had a political partner whom he trusted to protect him and his image.

Although Warren’s affair with Carrie continued unknown to Florence, the Hardings began to focus on the U.S. Senate race in 1916. Warren had been very successful on the speakers’ circuit, receiving praise for his oratory skills, and had been selected to speak at the Republican National Convention in 1912. That exposure, along with Florence’s support and drive, brought Warren another election victory. Soon the Hardings departed for the nation’s capital and Warren’s new post in the U.S. Senate.

Presidency and First Ladyship

Washington, D.C., afforded Florence the opportunity to escape Ohio and forge new political and personal alliances. She was helped by her introduction to Evalyn McLean, owner of the famed Hope Diamond, and wife of Washington Post chief Ned McLean. The McLeans were well known in Washington and introduced the Hardings to other prominent and well-connected people. The friendship proved immensely important in 1920, when Warren decided to run for the presidency. His decision to run was strongly supported by Florence. Carrie Phillips, by now his former mistress, was demanding twenty-five thousand dollars from Warren for their love letters. Afraid the letters would be released to the public and Warren’s career would be destroyed, Florence pushed for his Republican Party nomination so he could use the Republican National Committee’s funds to “buy off” Carrie. With that accomplished and the election won, Warren promised the American people a “return to normalcy” following years of upheaval during progressivism and World War I. Florence, the one-time single mother from Marion, was now First Lady.

As First Lady, Florence became nationally known. She began her tenure by opening the White House to the public, even conducting tours herself. She utilized the newsreel to document her accomplishments. This visual medium had proven very useful during the election, as Florence also tapped, for the first time, celebrities to campaign for her husband. Singer Al Jolson headed the endorsement effort, and throughout her years in the White House, Florence was often seen in the company of movie personalities. Historians argue that she was the creator of the “photo op,” which she used to publicize her causes.

Unlike many previous First Ladies, Florence had been an avid suffragist and was the first woman to vote for her own husband for president. Her support of women’s issues, however, transcended the vote. She championed women’s equality in education, business, and politics. When Harding’s administration endorsed improved health care for women and children, Florence’s influence was evident. She was his closest adviser and was well known to all members of the cabinet. She convinced them to support World War I veterans as well as humane societies. She used newsreels to make her dog, Laddie Boy, a nationally recognized figure.

The Harding administration, however, was fraught with corruption. Those closest to Warren tried to protect him and his administration from scandal, but others seemed to relish the chaos. His extramarital affairs continued over the years, with Senate aide Grace Cross; Rosa Hoyle, who was said to have delivered a son by Harding; and Augusta Cole, whose pregnancy was allegedly terminated after Harding sent her to a sanatorium. He was also known to have bedded at least five other women. The most famous was twenty-two-year-old Nan Britton, who wrote about their first encounter when fifty-one-year-old Warren was a senator and she became pregnant with his daughter. Their affair continued during his presidency; they had sex in a White House closet. Florence knew about the affairs (except Nan) and worked with Warren’s friends to “quiet” these women. She could not, however, stop the corruption.

While dealing with Warren’s infidelity, Florence came under the influence of two people who would play large roles in her life. The Hardings had met “Doc” Sawyer in Ohio. He was a homeopathic physician who slowly worked his way into their confidences. Warren had grown up with homeopathic medicine and easily warmed to Doc. Florence, however, took time to be convinced. By the White House years, Doc had ingratiated himself into the role of physician for the first couple. The other person who gained Florence’s confidence was called Madame Marcia. She had predicted Warren’s presidential nomination and election but warned Florence that he would die before completing his term. Florence had become interested in the occult during her youth, when hex signs on barns belonging to farmers of German descent were a common sight. Over time, she based many of her actions and reactions on “readings” by psychics such as Madame Marcia.

In 1923, rumors were flying about possible corruption in the Harding administration. As evidence began to surface, the Hardings planned a trip to Alaska and the West Coast. Warren became weak and sickly. A military physician sent along was alarmed at the president’s obvious heart trouble, but Doc Sawyer adamantly denied there was any problem. Yet along the way, Warren’s condition worsened. The onset of food poisoning after ingesting tainted Alaskan crab exacerbated Warren’s condition, as “Doc” gave him purgatives that strained his heart, ultimately causing it to fail on August 2, 1923. As Florence brought the body back, rumors began to circulate that Warren had been murdered. A book published in 1930 claimed that Florence had poisoned him. Florence was drained, but she was concerned about more than Warren’s death. She worried about his image.

Legacy

Immediately following Warren’s burial in Marion, Florence returned to Washington to collect her things. She settled into Evalyn McLean’s estate with crates of government documents, the president’s private papers, and other assorted items, all of which were burned. Florence wanted to destroy anything that might damage the Harding administration. She then returned to Marion, as Congress investigated corruption in her husband’s administration. Settling on Doc’s sanatorium grounds, Florence’s health rapidly deteriorated, and her troubled kidneys began to fail. With Doc able to do little more than provide bleedings and laxatives, Florence Harding died on November 21, 1924, a year after her husband’s death.

She was an ambitious woman who defied conventions in her life and in her quest for the presidency for her husband. A true partner as First Lady, Florence was different from any of her predecessors. Not until Eleanor Roosevelt would the United States see a First Lady become more involved in presidential politics. Yet Florence is known as the wife who poisoned her husband. Though unfounded, this depiction is not so outrageous given the time in which she lived and the power she exercised. She challenged popular perceptions of the First Lady and presented an alternative role model.

Bibliography

Anthony, Carl Sferrazza. First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents’ Wives and Their Power. Vol. 1. New York: William Morrow, 1990.

Anthony, Carl Sferrazza. Florence Harding: The First Lady, the Jazz Age, and the Death of America’s Most Scandalous President. New York: William Morrow, 1998.

Frederick, Richard G., comp. Warren G. Harding: A Bibliography. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1992.

Murray, Robert K. The Harding Era: Warren G. Harding and His Administration. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1969.

Trani, Eugene P., and David L. Wilson. The Presidency of Warren G. Harding. Lawrence: Regents Press of Kansas, 1977.