The Death of President Warren G. Harding

Abstract

Warren G. Harding, the 29th President of the United States (Figure 1), died in office in 1923, at age 57, of “natural causes,” the 1st to do so since Zachary Taylor in 1850. He had been a popular President, elected 3 years earlier by a wide margin over his Democratic opponent. 1. Ferrell R.H. The strange deaths of President Harding. University of Missouri Press, Columbia (MO)1996 Google Scholar , 2. Dean J.W. Warren G. Harding. Henry Holt & Co., New York2004 Google Scholar , 3. Murray R.K. The Harding era. Warren G. Harding and his administration. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis (MN)1969 Google Scholar , 4. Russell F. The shadow of blooming grove: Warren G. Harding in his times. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York1968 Google Scholar , 5. Anthony C.S. Florence Harding: The First Lady, the jazz age, and the death of America's most scandalous president. William Morrow & Co., New York1998 Google Scholar His death was presented to the press and the public as an unexpected acute event that occurred during his ambitious cross-country tour by special train and then by ship to Alaska. This was called a “voyage of understanding” to meet the American people. He died in a San Francisco hotel room of an illness diagnosed 1st as food poisoning, then as “apoplexy” and still later as a “heart attack.” After his death, his reputation was marred by financial scandals involving cabinet members and other high-ranking officials and by damaging revelations about Harding's personal life. The nature and management of his illness stirred great controversy at the time, and many unresolved issues remain even now. 5. Anthony C.S. Florence Harding: The First Lady, the jazz age, and the death of America's most scandalous president. William Morrow & Co., New York1998 Google Scholar In this report, we will review the available clinical data, attempting to make a diagnosis in modern terms and to evaluate the quality of his medical care.