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Warren G. Harding

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Warren G. Harding was born in 1865 just northeast of Columbus near Marion in Morrow County and attended Ohio Central College in Iberia. He was in the newspaper business prior to his entry into the political arena in 1898.

Harding served two terms in the Ohio Senate followed by two years as the state's Lieutenant Governor. In 1912, his speaking abilities well-known by then, Harding was selected to re-nominate President Taft at the Republican convention. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1914 and was the keynote speaker at the 1916 convention. By 1920, Harding was elevated to the Republican nomination for President, which he won handily over Democrat James M. Cox.

Harding's administration was marked by a "return to normalcy" following the end of WWI. He was troubled, however, by some of his friends using their official positions to enrich themselves resulting in scandal.