The Shadow of Blooming Grove: Warren G. Harding in His Times

by Francis Russell

The Shadow of Blooming Grove. Francis Russell (January 12, 1910 in Boston, Massachusetts - March 20, 1989 in Falmouth, Massachusetts) was an American author specializing in American history and historical figures. Russell is best known for his book on Warren G. Harding, The Shadow of Blooming Grove. He graduated from Bowdoin College, and from Harvard University, A colorful biography of a largely forgotten president and, more importantly, an interesting peek into the mindset of American life and politics during the interregnum between the end of World War I and the true beginning of the roaring '20s.

Genres: Presidents, Biography, History, Nonfiction, American History, Politics, Us Presidents

691 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Francis Russell was an American author specializing in American history and historical figures.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://bestpresidentialbios.com/2015/...

“The Shadow of Blooming Grove: Warren G. Harding in His Times” is Francis Russell’s 1968 biography of the 29th president. The book is probably best known for controversy generated prior to its publication resulting from Russell’s discovery of a cache of letters between Harding and one of his mistresses.

The author intended to include excerpts from the letters in the biography but a lawsuit by the Harding family suppressed their disclosure. The reader, however, is never in any doubt as to the nature of the missing material and the controversy may have actually boosted sales of the book. Russell was a historian and prolific author; he died in 1989 at the age of 79.

While this biography is seemingly comprehensive and undeniably full of detail it fails, by a wide margin, to live up to its potential. And although Russell seems determined to provide the reader with the definitive biography of this former president, he is far more successful convincing his audience that Harding simply does not deserve a book of this length (663 pages).

Not only is this biography needlessly verbose but it also lacks punch. While it is sometimes accused of exposing the biases of its author, this biography disappoints not because it is scandalous but because it is filled with page after page of detail that reveals almost nothing substantive of Harding…short of demonstrating that he suffered a loveless marriage and filled the void with at least two affairs.

And while Russell seems determined to refurbish Harding’s lowly image, the man who emerges from these pages is at best a hapless, well-meaning back-slapper who miraculously rose to the nation’s highest office and found himself in over his head. But with almost no analytical glue to hold together the various stories, anecdotes and epistles, Harding is stranded as a two-dimensional caricature.

Harding’s tenure in the White House lasted just twenty-nine months, but I still found Russell’s description of his brief presidency haphazard and difficult to follow. The book’s narrative during these months seems to wander topically and chronologically, and I have a far better sense of Harding’s extramarital affairs during this period than of his presidential affairs.

Russell’s book is not without merit, however. He can be a shrewd observer of people and often provides interesting introductory material when weaving Harding’s friends or colleagues into the story. But even in these moments his writing style feels stodgy and dated.

The best chapter, by far, is “The Dark Convention” which describes how Harding obtained the Republican nomination for president in 1920. It also helps explain how someone of such middling talent managed to reach the highest political office in the nation. The book’s interesting penultimate chapter reviews the last years of the lives of the book’s major characters who, in some cases, outlived Harding by decades.

The final chapter in the book is an account of the author’s discovery of the Harding/Phillips letters and of the litigation which prevented their publication. As interesting as the back-story proves to be, this last chapter is of far less value than the final chapter which the book is missing: the one which critically but thoughtfully reviews Harding’s legacy.

Overall, Francis Russell’s “The Shadow of Blooming Grove: Warren G Harding in His Times” proves more frustrating than enlightening. Although it doesn’t quite exude the feel of a tabloid expose, neither does it convey the impression of a deliberate, well-organized and thoughtful work of a great biographer. In the end, Francis Russell’s biography of Warren Harding is barely more inspiring than Harding himself.

Overall rating: 3 stars

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Francis Russell's The Shadow of Blooming Grove was intended as the first comprehensive biography of scandal-plagued President Warren Gamaliel Harding. Intended, because though Russell (writing in 1968) received access to Harding's private papers, he was blocked by the President's estate from publishing excerpts of his private letters with paramours Nan Britton and Carrie Phillips, forcing textual redactions that made it into the finished book. Nonetheless, Russell thoroughly chronicles his rise from small-town newspaperman to unaccomplished Senator and incompetent President, showing Harding very much a product of his time and place (turn of the century Ohio, with its labyrinthian political feuds and moderate Republican majority). Not overburdened with intelligence or original thought, with a tortured syntax that H.L. Mencken mocked as "Gamalielese," he was nonetheless a skilled orator of handsome visage and a friendly personality that won him friends and admirers (and mistresses aplenty). Elevated to the White House by a "smoke-filled room" of bosses at the 1920 Republican Convention, Harding won people's trust by promising "a return to normalcy" after the war-torn, repressive Woodrow Wilson years. Instead, he delivered them perhaps the most corrupt Administration in American history (at least, prior to 2017).

Russell does his level best to provide a balanced portrait of Harding, an effort that would tax the most generous biographer. He shows Harding as essentially honest and "trying uncertainly through his limitations to make himself worthy of his office." And, in fairness, Harding could count a few achievements: a practical economic policy that helped to smooth out the postwar recession, his sincere, outspoken criticism of lynching and the Ku Klux Klan (sadly, Congress stonewalled his antilynching bill) and his overseeing an disarmament treaty with the major world powers which Russell treats as his crowning achievement (even if his gifted Secretary of State, Charles Evans Hughes, deserves most of the credit). But it's impossible to overlook Harding's romantic liaisons, which continued into the Oval Office (sometimes literally, in Nan Britton's case) and his ill-treatment of his long-suffering wife Florence, who seems far brighter and more perspicacious (if understandably crabbed) than her husband. Nor can he be forgiven for elevating his "Ohio Gang" cronies into positions of power, triggering Teapot Dome and sundry other scandals as they pilfered government funds and investments, even if Harding had no personal involvement. It's to Russell's credit that he makes Harding a palatable and engaging figure at all; but few readers will come away from his book with any feeling stronger than pity for a man desperately over his head.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

In drama, tragedy is defined as the fall of a great man through deliberate or inadvertent mechanizations of his own creation, with an emphasis on the adjective "great." In this sense, Warren G. Harding's story is not a tragedy, as he was never a great man. Nonetheless, "tragic" is a word I will always associate with him after reading this splendid biography by Francis Russell. Harding spent most of his life mildly ambitious but content to go along to get along, to stand for election without standing for concrete principles. He didn't mind mild (extremely mild) abuses of electoral privilege (the equivalent of a cop accepting free coffee every day), and he was not under sharp control of his libidinal urges. But he seems to have been a generally good man, and when he was elected president, he eventually tried to grow into the job, a job for which he was notably unsuited. His loyalty caused him to give positions of power and authority to friends and supporters without due regard to their abilities or scruples, and as his term in office neared its end, he found himself and the country betrayed by several of them. His last days before dying in office were apparently agonizing ones, as he clearly was becoming aware of the perfidy of his closest advisers, several of whom had enriched themselves through illegal means. In addition, several extra-marital affairs caused him fear and anguish when it seemed they might be exposed. In some ways, Harding was fortunate to die when he did, as the enormous scandals that forever tarred his administration did not, for the most part, come to light until he had been eulogized as a fine and decent president. While he may not have been a fine president, he appears to have been, but for a few peccadilloes, a basically decent one, and his legacy as one of the worst presidents is due not to his own evil deeds but to his inability to believe in the crimes of his friends, and to his self-admitted insufficiency to the task of leading the country. Francis Russell, author of the wonderful TRAGEDY AT DEDHAM, about the Sacco and Vanzetti case, creates a vivid portrait of the ill-fated Harding and also leaves the reader slavering for material Russell was forced to leave out -- letters between Harding and one of his mistresses, letters read by Russell but suppressed from publication by Harding's heirs. THE SHADOW OF BLOOMING GROVE is a really good book about a not very good president.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

By glancing at the Goodreads reviews, I think I may be one of the few readers who really liked this Warren G. Harding biography. I don't know why not. Published in 1962 by the author, Francis Russell, it is every bit as mindblowing as the 1960s TV drama series Peyton Place. How many serious presidential biographies have you read that were so racy that parts of it were forcibly redacted by the subject's family?

Even though this book took me over a year to read doesn't mean I was bored. I was savoring it. I even read the Author's Notes. OK, it did have some slow parts. At least once I remember Russell describing a parade and almost ALL of its participants. I like parades but enough is enough already.

Professional historians can't complain about a lack of research or original sources. Russell left no stone (or panties) unturned. He was the person who discovered the love letters from Harding to his mistress.

All historical details were fair game to Russell. I tried flipping back to the part where Mrs. Harding stuck Harry Daugherty, Harding's campaign manager, with a hat pin but couldn't find where it was written. This attack happened during the Republican convention when her husband was nominated for president. I can't remember why she did this. (I read this snippet quite a while back.) Daugherty probably deserved it. If not then, than when he later went behind Harding's back to use his influence as Attorney General to line his own pockets. Harding didn't have very nice friends. (Read about Teapot Dome sometime. Or read this book.)

As I continue my presidential biography reading project many of the previous presidents are beginning to blend in my mind. Warren G. Harding will not.

[Arminius · Rating 2 out of 5]

The United States 19th President, Warren Harding, started his life in the community of Blooming Grove, Ohio. His father provided a middle class upbringing for Warren and his seven brothers and sisters working as the town’s doctor and also as a farmer. Warren’s mother worked as a midwife. The family moved to Caledonia, OH where Warren’s father bought a newspaper company. Warren started working there at the age of 10. He learned all the details pertaining to the newspaper industry. At age 17 he attended Ohio Central College. After graduation he and two friends moved to Marion, OH where they purchased the cities struggling newspaper company-The Marion Daily Star. While running the Star Warren became enthralled with the candidacy of Republican James G. Blaine for U.S. president and turned his editorial into page into a Republican supported paper.

Harding gave brilliant editorials in the Star in support of Republican causes. He also authorized the Daily Star to purchase stories from the Associated Press. Thus, the Star became Marion, OH’s first newspaper to cover national issues. These acts along with his very affable personality turned the Star into Marion’s number one read newspaper. The Republican Party took notice of his success and editorials and invited him to their convention. He met a lot of influential Republicans there and they eventually asked him to make a speech at one of their conventions.

When speech making he had an engaging, calming voice which would captivate his target audience. He was so well received by convention attendees that he was asked to give the nomination speech for William Howard Taft for the 1912 Presidency. This fact along with his physical appearance and his extremely friendly attitude made him so popular that when a Senate seat opened he was asked to run for it. He was elected and served one term. He enjoyed his Senate stay. He became a sit fencer for the controversial issues of the 1900 teen years. The two issues were woman suffrage and prohibition. He took no stand on either. He did however gather fellow Senator’s for late night Poker games.

Then in 1920 his star brightened. President Woodrow Wilson left office very unpopular. This made it ripe for a Republican president to succeed him. Harding looked presidential; he was described as Romanesque looking. He formulated opinions and expressed them clearly. His remarkable speech giving abilities also put him in good stead with the Republican Party. More qualified people vied for the nomination however they all suffered from a sufficient enemy base that fought to keep them out. Harding’s good nature was an anti-enemy formula. So when the Republican caucus looked for a compromise candidate, Harding became a good choice.

He accepted the nomination and won a fairly easy victory, becoming America’s 19th President. He seemed somewhat unsure of himself as the president. As a result, he picked a high caliber all-star cabinet. It included Charles Evans Hughes as Secretary of State. Hughes was New York’s Governor from 1907-1910. He later was appointed to the Supreme Court as an associate Justice by President Taft. He was the Republicans choice for President in 1916 but unfortunately lost. Warren Harding nabbed him for Secretary of State where he served until 1925. He was later appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1930.

To be the Commerce Secretary Harding appointed one of the most respected men in the country at the time, Herbert Hoover. Hoover was revered for his work as the American Relief Administrator. As the Relief Administrator he delivered food with dazzling efficiency to war torn starving European citizens. Of course, he later become the President himself. The Treasury Secretary went to Andrew Mellon. Mellon was one of the wealthiest men in America. He succeeded in building a banking giant and understood free market capitalism, foreign currency markets and economics like few others of the time.


As far as the Harding Administration accomplishments are concerned, they staved off a recession with a tax cut and the country enjoyed peace and relative prosperity. The President created a Budget Office and appointed another heavyweight to run it – Charles Dawes. Dawes cut the National budget in half in less than two years. Harding also established the Veterans Administration and imposed regulations on the struggling radio station industry which helped turn radio into a major entertainer. He made a country wide tour touting his proposal for a World Court to settle international disputes.

He, however, unexpectedly died at age 57 in San Francisco on this tour.

Mostly after his death did the scandals of his Administration surface. The most famous of these scandals was known as the Tea Pot Dome affair. Harding’s Interior Secretary Albert Fall accepted bribes from associates in exchange for letting them lease the publically owned oil fields in Wyoming. In addition, to Teapot Dome his Office of alien property director Thomas Miller was convicted of accepting bribes. His Veterans Bureau chief, Charles Forbes, was convicted of fraud and bribery after accepting kickbacks, skimming profits and running an underground alcohol distribution network. His former campaign manager, political best friend and Attorney General Harry Dougherty would have to retire due to charges of accepting bribes.

The book discusses much of Harding’s personal life. The Author of Blooming Grove, Francis Russell, discovered a box of letters which detailed two of Harding’s long time affairs. One was with his beautiful neighbor Carrie Phillips. The other was with a young woman named Nan Britton. Nan was from his hometown of Marion. She wrote a book detailing the affair and claiming Harding fathered her baby.
I enjoyed the book but I wish Mr. Russell would have discussed more of the policies and their effects and less of the love affairs and scandals.

[Christopher Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many gems in this book, I don't even know where to begin. First, the book itself is quite controversial because in the 1960s, because of a legal dispute between the author and Harding's family. Harding's mistress (Carrie Phillips) gave the author all her love letters written by Harding before she died. The author attempted to publish the love letters in the book but was blocked in court by Harding's nephew. The book details how the Ohio Historical Society fought tooth and nail to actually burn the letters. So instead of taking out quotes from the letters, he uses white lines in place of the quotes. The letters will be sealed until 2023.

Second, Russell (the author) argues that for Harding's entire life, Harding was followed by the "Shadow" of his hometown..the shadow being the rumor that Harding was African-American. All sorts of hilarity ensues when Harding's father gets in a fist fight with father-in-law over the matter. When Harding is elected Lt. Governor, Harding's father in law says: "I hope I do not live to see the day when a black man becomes governor of Ohio." When Harding a teacher, everyone says they don't want to be taught by the "Black teacher." When he is president, Harding's Administration orders the destruction of thousands of books that allege he is African-American.

Third, Harding's relationship with Carrie Phillips is also fascinating. Phillips, during World War I, becomes a sympathizer for the Germans and is openly pro-German in the town and threatens to expose her relationship with Harding if Harding votes in favor of the war. Eventually Carrie's husband finds out about the affair. During the 1920 race, all the houses and buildings in town were decorated with flags except for one...you can guess which one. H.L. Mencken makes a point of mentioning this in his book about the 1920s. When Harding is nominated by the Republicans, they ask him: "you have anything in your past that could preclude you from being president?" He says: "Nope." AFTER they nominate him, he says: "Oh btw..there's this thing with Carrie." The Republican Party Chairman calls Carrie and her husband, give them a free multi-year tour around the world and promised to pay them monthly to keep their mouth shut for several years. She becomes the first mistress ever paid directly by a political party.

Fourth, Harding's relationship with Nan Britton is also covered. Britton was a high school student when she met and fell in love with Harding. She eventually begins her affair with him when he's senator and while he is a presidential nominee, finds out she's pregnant. Of course Harding gives her money while president and even carries on her affair the White House (they would do in their business in a White House closet). Then Harding dies and Britton wants the same deal from the Republicans that was given to Phillips. Eventually, there is this scene in the book where VP Dawes calls her into an office and calls her a 'Trollop, a whore, and just about every 1920 curse word there was and kicks her out. She then writes a best selling tell-all book (the first of many) detailing her affair, the White House closet etc., and her daughter.

Fifth, the book makes fun of Florence Harding in that 1960s sexism way (The book was published in the 1960s). There are even jokes about her ankles being swollen that's how bad and tasteless it is. The book also details how Florence uses her secret service agents to spy on Harding and there is an awkward scene when one secret service agent (Warren's) is holding back Florence's secret service agent while Warren is meeting with his mistress in the White House closet.

Sixth, Harding himself comes across as sympathetic. Someone who just wanted to play a good hand of poker (the book discusses how Harding lost several pieces of White House furniture, state documents, and the china due to his bad poker skills).

[Aaron · Rating 1 out of 5]

Biography of one of America's lowest-ranked Presidents. That will probably not change much regardless of who comes into office in the future. Harding was not a mean or necessarily corrupt man, although he did have multiple affairs - including one with a 19 year-old girl whom he impregnated when he was already in his 50s. But many of his friends were, and he basically turned the other cheek to their activities and refused to believe it when hints of wrongdoing came his way. He did not want to be President, did not actively seek out the office, and did not want to stay in the office once he was there. He was the "safe" choice in 1920 for the Republicans as, by his nature someone who tried to straddle the fence on any portentous issue, he had not made many enemies. He had an undistinguished career in Ohio politics as a state Senator, Lieutenant Governor, defeated candidate for Governor, and then not quite a full term as a U.S. Senator (during which time he had no notable accomplishments). His wife - the aptly nicknamed Duchess - was a mean old woman who tried to bully anyone that crossed her path, including Harding himself.

Russell at times seemed to be almost angry as he wrote. One of Harding's sisters was born with severe vision problems, and went blind in her teenage years. Russell describes her writing letters to Harding as "pathetic." I find that inappropriate and not true. Also, for unknown reasons, twice in the book Russell compares Harding to Dwight Eisenhower - calling them both poor presidents. I really have no idea what Eisenhower, president in the 1950s, has to do with Harding, who died in 1923. The comments do not fit in the book.

Russell spends way too much time on Harding's early days in Ohio as a newspaper editor and owner of the Marion Star, and his slow-developing, fitful political career. The very first chapter is out of sequence, as it is about Harding's inauguration. I do not mind that being at the beginning of the book like, sort of setting the tone, But Russell spends the next 400+ pages on his life up to the time he becomes President. That is far too many pages. I would occasionally get lost in the myriad of different Ohio politicians that Russell kept interjecting into the story - some of which were peripheral characters at best. The result was that it made for some dry reading.

Russell is good at describing the inauguration day, and also at explaining just how Harding came to be chosen by the Republican powers that were at the 1920 Convention. He also talks about the Teapot Dome scandal in detail, and highlights the wrongdoing on Harding's Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall. He also makes sure to discuss at length the unethical behavior of Harding's Attorney General, Harry Daugherty. Russell's final chapter is about himself reading many of the love letters that Harding wrote to one of his mistresses, Carrie Phillips, and the subsequent legal battle to keep the letters from being made public. I can understand why he chose to include that in the book; yet, I think the book itself easily could have done without that chapter. in the end, I found this to be an unsatisfactory book about an unmotivated, undistinguished man who somehow managed to become President of the United States.

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps Warren G. Harding wasn’t such a bad president after all. The Shadow of Blooming Grove , written several years ago, is a wonderful biography of the man who added the word “normalcy” to the English language and fathered a child in a closet of the White House. Harding has traditionally been considered one of the worst presidents. The “Teapot Dome Scandal,” “smoke-filled rooms” where deals were cut, and the “Ohio Gang” of politicians that placed personal gain over the country’s welfare have long been associated with this very popular man who died mysteriously in 1923.

Harding himself was an honest, likable, former newspaper publisher who embodied small-town virtues but few of the small-town vices. His administration also made some significant contributions including the creation of the Bureau of the Budget, reduction of the national debt and a 1922 Naval Disarmament Conference that became the first arms reduction talks in history. He was applauded by civil libertarians when he pardoned Eugene Debs, he appointed more blacks to office than most of his predecessors, and his speech on race and opposing lynching was hailed by black nationalist Marcus Garvey as “one of the greatest statements of the present day.”

Harding died before he could defend his reputation against charges stemming from the leasing of federal oil reserves by the secretary of the interior who made a personal fortune. Coolidge won the 1924 election by attacking Harding and many of the charges were repeated by historians who labeled him a symbol of greed in a self-indulgent era.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yup, kids, that's right! A five-starrer!

Although I'm not actually sure that I would get along with author Francis Russell in real life -- you know, if he were alive -- I found this book to be one of the most interesting in this lovely little prez bios project I'm doing (have I told you about it??!? ;) oh, I have? 28 times already?) and parts of it were downright gripping. The dust jacket calls his description of the 1920 Repub convention the "most absorbing account ever" of that "smoke-filled room" event. True!

To anyone thinking 'But why would I want to read a biography of Warren G. Harding?' -- you are missing the point. Why only read about the most famous people? That's so self-fulfilling prophecy. That kind of thinking is why the internet is, like, all Bieber & Miley, all the time.

AND: this particular bio covers a lifetime lived from the end of the Civil War to a few years after WWI. Holy transformation, USA! The country and the many facets of late 19th and early 20th century politics come alive, as does the town of Marion, OH. There are so many interesting characters that were part of making Warren G. a politician and so many selfish and lascivious acts happening in and around his offices and social settings. Rather than "learning about Warren Harding" (which, admittedly, you will do), I would suggest picking up this book to learn about the turn of the century, Ohio, racism, speechmaking, kingmaking, illicit affairs/repression/how those two are related, Albert Fall, Gaston Means, secrets and lies, Doheny (I lived in L.A. for seven years and still never really knew Doheny's history), newspapers, small towns, small-town newspapers, friendship, and tragedy.

OH, and there were some admirable and cute dogs in his life, too. Dude, misguided though he was at times, is not all bad, because he liked being kind to animals.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expectations were low for this president, but after completing this book, they weren't low enough. Sex, murder, bribery, and corruption are just a few words I would use to cover his admin.
Russell does an incredible job of the back story of Hardings life and showing that he was the best while being a newspaper man. Unfornately, after that, his career and standing on the fence, pure laziness, and pure living off the tax dollars comes through. When a controversial bill came through the senate, he was somehow not there to vote. He also apeased every political boss by not taking a stand against them but neither standing with them as well.
The author does a great job of going into the dark nasty places of the convenction, the affair letters(where legally possible at the time), and the corruption.

Harding has slim to none redeeming qualities about his admin. The three I can point out are creating a federal budget and speaking in Birmingham, AL at today's Linn Park but then called Capitol Park about lynching. This 2nd point is mute since he didn't push for any legislation as he thought it would bring up the "the shadow of blooming grove". At last, he tried to create a quasi world court, but because of his balancing act of being against and for Wilson's League of Nations, this fell through.

A lot of historians may bring up the Washington Naval Agreement as a win. This, however, is only a win from the American and Brittish side. It inflamed the Japaneese people and government.

The only down side the Russell's writing is that it comes off as extremely harsh personal opinions. He constantly makes degrading remarks randomly about a persons look or personality. He probably saves his harshest criticism for Florence Harding, which is wild considering she was living with a husband who treated her miserably.

On a last note, I would call this book quite historic. As this author did find the Carrie Phillips letters. However, the Ohio historical society and his family wanted them destroyed fearful of harming then already degraded Harding. If it wasn't for a few actions of a few common but brave people these letters and thus history would never have been discovered.

Book Rating 4/5
Presidential Raking D-
The fact that while his administration was awful and the corruption continued to seep out after his death it's effects were felt generations later.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Francis Russell’s The Shadow of Blooming Grove shows Warren G. Harding to be a man not all that interesting. The events surrounding him, however, were. Of course there were his Cabinet’s scandals, most notably Teapot Dome, that came to light after Harding’s death in office, but Russell laying out in ample detail the back room machinations which led to Harding’s nomination at the 1920 Republican National Convention is the book’s highlight and centerpiece.

In contrast to a few reviews, I didn’t find Russell’s reporting of Harding’s chronic philandering too salacious. Even the president’s practice of getting it on with a mistress, the mother of his illegitimate daughter, in a White House closet gets a shrug in 2022. The ongoing rumor of Harding having Black blood - the “shadow” in the book’s title - and how it was weaponized against him is more sorry and uncomfortable.

And I know finding photographs is just a quick Internet search away, but a collection included here would’ve added a lot.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still recall back during the Harding Centennial Year of 1965 when this book first came out the blank
lines of dashes there where the Harding family had gotten an injunction to prevent author Francis
Russell from quoting from the recently discovered correspondence between Warren Harding and married Marion neighbor Carrie Phillips. Not sure what that accomplished other than leave people
more curious and may be just only a bit titillated. That Harding was a philanderer was rather well
known at that point.

Warren G. Harding was born in 1865 to a country doctor and grew up in the Marion , Ohio area. The
father was a Union Army surgeon so his allegiance to the Republicans was understandable. He decided that journalism was the career for him so he purchased the Marion Star and it became a
reliably GOP paper/ It also advanced him into party councils.

He also married Florence Kling DeWolfe, daughter of the richest man in town. To say Flo was not
a beauty would put it mildly. She was a tall and ungainly and rather masculine looking person. But
she was also a driver with connections. His advancement was her's also. Harding called her the
'Duchess'. She had a previous marriage and a son who was raised by his grandfather, her dad.
Harding was a serial cheater.

The paper brought Harding's name to the public and it got him elected to the State Senate and to
being Lieutenant Governor of Ohio. A run for Governor of Ohio ended in defeat in 1910. In 1912
during the Roosevelt-Taft split, Harding remained loyal to President Taft and actually nominated
him at the convention in 1912.

Came 1914 and the first year U.S. Senators were to be popularly elected and Harding got that nomination. He won and joined the back bench of his party. The Republican party had a lot of outstanding figures in the Senate at the time both in the conservative and progressive wings. Harding was not one of them. He sponsored no bills of any importance in his term, but got along
agreeably with all. Shrewd political instincts he did have and he saw early on the 1920 convention
would be hotly contested and no one had a lock.

And he became in the title of another book on him, the available man. After nine ballots the powers that were in the GOP chose him as their presidential candidate with Calvin Coolidge of
Massachusetts as his running mate. In a record GOP year Harding won in an electoral and popular
landside and became our 29th president.

No getting away from it, Harding was a mediocre man with a mediocre mind. Unlike some he knew
it and tried to get some of the best people he could in his Cabinet. He also knew he had to reward
some of his Ohio GOP pals.

Scandal is how we know Warren Harding today it's what first comes to mind. Teapot Dome and
other scandals involving the Veteran's Administration and the Alien Property Custodian office are
what people think of when remembering Harding. If not political scandal, personal scandal such
as him impregnating 16 year old Nan Britton.

Yet certain good things happened also. Harding through his Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes made a great effort at disarmament in fact he was the host of the Washington Conference
on that subject. He made a lasting contribution to the running of the presidency with the founding of the Bureau of the Budget and Charles G. Dawes was its first head. Under Albert Lasker
head of the Shipping Board, a new merchant marine fleet was created.

All of this is part of the Warren G. Harding story and their have been more recent and better studies
of Harding have been done that give him some credit and raise him a bit above the bottom of
presidential rank.

Wonder if Russell got to print those Phillips letters excerpts in later editions?

[Brent Ecenbarger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ohio was a political superstition, as well as a state. Every Republican President who had entered the White House by the votes of the people since the Civil War had come from Ohio or been born in Ohio... So according to the political haruspices, an Ohio candidate would be the logical choice, and Harding was the one Ohio party leader still intact in high office."

Much like Chester A. Arthur, Warren Harding is a guy that probable never should have sniffed the presidency but still ended up in the highest office in the land. His qualifications basically came to 1) he was from Ohio 2) he was inoffensive to everybody (having no real convictions) and 3) could be controlled by the party leaders. Prior to being nominated for office he was asked if he had any scandals that could offend the party should be headline the ticket; he thought it over and answered no. The real answer was "yes, two major sexual ones and a lot more based on who he'd name in his cabinet."

I didn't take a lot of notes while reading this book, as the author often went far into Ohio politics and it took all of my willpower to keep pushing through. That being said, there was a lot of drama and scandal in Harding's life, and my overall impression of him was that he was a fairly awful person in his private life, but (much like Grant) the scandals that took place while he was in office were more a result of bad friends then bad character at his profession. Here's how he stacks up in my presidential rubric.

Born Into Dad was farmer, then doctor and newspaper man. Author downplays his success. The doctor seemed less impressive and more "low standards in a rural area" and the farm wasn't quite the mega-plantations of some of the other prior presidents. The newspaper business did end up being Harding's career before politics, something he basically took over for his dad. 2.5 out of 5.

Pre-President Harding ran a newspaper, and became the most successful Republican in Marion Ohio. Harding used his paper for political advantage, and was not above using it as both a bully pulpit and a gossip rag. (He also loved dogs and left them to protect his office when he wasn't there; several of them were poisoned over the years in apparent retaliation for his writings.) Harding also studied the law but didn't distinguish himself or put it to use as a career. His career in politics involved being elected State Senator in Ohio, and then Lieutenant Governor. As a politician, his idol was Alexander Hamilton. He had a bland voting record, often going with the party consensus and going for and against the same issue depending on the day. He support prohibition politically, but disagreed with it privately and did not follow the laws.

Harding first distinguished himself by being reelected for State Senator, something that broke tradition in the locality. Once he was elected to the United States Senate, he publicly supported Teddy Roosevelt's attempts to have Wilson give him a volunteer regiment to command in World War I. Roosevelt in turn became loyal to Wilson and recommended him for a vice presidential nomination. Harding did not seek the presidency or even put his hat into the ring. Instead he was selected by other party men for the reasons outlined earlier. He was a dark horse candidate who once there was a stalemate among the favorites, quickly became a consensus pick. When it came time for the election, Harding/Coolidge won in a landslide over Democrat James Cox (also from Ohio) and running mate FDR. 2.5 out of 5.

Presidential Career Harding looked up to Woodrow Wilson, and somewhat revered Wilson's demeanor in office. That is not to say he emulated him. Harding was a laid back guy who enjoyed spending time with his boys, drinking, and partying. He had a special request that toothpicks be kept available for him in the White House. A few notable things from his term:
- He created the bureau of budget, and was financially responsible in budgeting his Administration
- Harding did not appoint blacks to jobs in the South, taking advice from others that it created conflict
- He did give a speech in the south calling for equal voting for Blacks, the first president to do so
- Although he was a supporter of not going along with Wilson's League of Nations (which he was in favor of while in the Senate), his legacy after the war was one of attempted peace as Harding volunteered and followed through with shrinking the amount of warships in the Navy and matching numbers to a scale with England and Japan.
- Supported an end to the 12 hour work day, which occurred while he was in office.

For more details of what went on in his presidency, check out the Post presidency section. 2 out of 5.

Vice President Calvin Coolidge, like most Vice Presidents through this point in history was selected at the convention and did little aside from have his name on the ticket for the election.
Harding did invite Coolidge to cabinet meetings, something that was either rare or altogether not done prior to this. Coolidge managed to avoid the stink of many of the administration scandals after Harding's death. 4 out of 5.

First Lady - Harding (and the author) only refer to wife Florence King as "the Duchess" throughout the book, such that I had to look up her name before writing this review. That's not to say she wasn't memorable though! The author described her as not feminine or attractive, iniitally persistent in wooing Harding, who never ended up loving her. She was older than him and perhaps a more savvy business man when it came to the newspaper (which she helped run after they were a couple). Her wealthy father disapproved of Harding so much, it took him fifteen years after their marriage to visit their home. The Duchess wanted own secret service agents, something that had never happened before. She used her man for errands and spying on Warren. At one point she accused the White House staff of theft and had the house locked down until they found an item she missplaced.

Also in this section we should mentioned Harding's lover, Carrie Phillips. She was married to his bestfriend and they maintained a relationship for years until he became president. Party officials found out about her before the election and paid her off to leave the country.

We should also mention Harding's long time mistress, the much younger Nan Britton. Nan proved Harding could have kids by conceiving a child with him who Harding managed to ignore and leave without any inheritance despite still banging Nan before and during his presidency. Harding was not particularly discrete about her and almost got caught by the Duchess on more than one occasion. 1 out of 5.

Post Presidency - Harding died toward the end of his only term in office. At the time he was still popular and probably would have won reeletion. Shortly after his death, a number of scandals became public. The most famous was Teapot Dome, where one of his cabinet member (Secretary Fall) enriched himself significantly in exchange for the government's oil rights in Teapot Dome Wyoming. There was also significant corruption in the Veteran's Affairs division. Two of Harding's associates killed themselves near the time of Harding's death. Nan Britton wrote two books about her relationship with the president, one of which became a bestseller. Another associate, Gaston Means, provided information that Harding's suicidal associates were actually murdered. It was probably bullshit, but who knows, Means ended up in prison There was also speculation that the Duchess poisoned Harding which the author says had no merit. 1 out of 5.

Book Itself This book begins by the author airing dirty laundry of other presidents and saying how Harding shouldn't be cast aside alone as a bad one. Then the author is prepared to get into all of Harding's dirty laundry but the affair with Carrie Phillips (supported by tons of love letters between the two) ended up resulting in a lawsuit and all the passages of love letters ended up being blank lines in this book. I feel bad for the author, as he discovered something interesting and salacious but still borderline historically important and didn't really get to capitalize on it. This could be a really interesting book now, as the letters are all public record and a modern author would know not to spend 100 pages on tangential Ohio political jockeying of the era. 3 out of 5.

[Jdb · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

This is a better history of the times than a bio of Harding: (1) Excruciatingly excessive detail makes this a heavy slog, even if the description of the 1920 Republican national convention is a classic example of the back room deal-making that occurred before the primary system became the norm. (2) In his Foreword, the author tries to redeem Harding’s tainted reputation by listing a number of other American political figures who had skeletons in their closet. It reminded me of the young child caught in the act who exclaims “ But Billy did it too” in an attempt to rationalize his bad behavior. (3) In his acknowledgments, the author writes:” Since my intention has been to write for the general reader rather than the specialist, I have not included a detailed bibliography, contenting myself with mentioning my chief sources incidentally in my notes”. That is not acceptable and the reader is left with many unsupported assertions , all of which damage the credibility here.

As for Harding, he was the 7th Republican President from Ohio between 1868 and 1920 as well as the 6th President to die in office up to 1923. His political life consisted of 2 one year terms as a state senator, 1 year as Lt. governor, 1 term as U.S. Senator and then a compromise-dark horse candidate nominated in a stubbornly deadlocked Republican nominating convention in 1920. His list of significant political/legislative successes is a very short one and he was not comfortable with the responsibility of the Presidency:

“ I am not fit for this office & should never have been here.”

Harding’s best accomplishment was to start and build a successful small town newspaper, the Marion Star. The contacts and favorable impressions he made as the editor led him into politics. That newspaper still exists today, so Harding wasn’t a complete schmuck.

Harding’s legacies are the Teapot Dome oil lease scandal and a Veterans Bureau corruption, both involving numerous individuals, including a Cabinet member. Criminal cases went on for nearly 10 years after his death. Harding himself was not involved.

The title of this bio, ‘The Shadow of Blooming Grove’, refers to his place of birth and the shadow refers to the persistent rumor throughout his life that Harding had ‘Negroe blood’ from his ancestors. (Hey, it was the late 19th and early 20th centuries). The author claims this was false but the lack of adequate footnotes leaves the reader in doubt.

For some readers, the highlight of this bio is the lustful description of Harding’s long running adultery with the wife of a friend. Harding wrote many love letters to her over the years , some as long as 40 pages, filled with graphic references. Unfortunately, at the time this book was published, the author was under a court order preventing him from publishing those letters. What is odd, is that the author chose to print excerpts from them as dashes, resulting in whole pages of dashes right in the middle of his narrative. (These letters are now available to the public)

Towards the end of this affair, Harding took up with a 19 year old woman, pursuing TWO affairs simultaneously! He fathered his only child by her but never acknowledged the daughter. What a guy.

[Kristi Thielen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1920, with the larger-then-life Theodore Roosevelt out of the political picture and no stellar standard bearers to turn to, the GOP nominated Warren G. Harding as their presidential candidate because, as one convention delegate noted, "Harding is the best of the second raters."

And that's how a man who never wanted to be president and knew he lacked the intellectual tools for the job came to the White House. He was mostly miserable there and when he died in office his star was waning. But the real damage done to his reputation - the damage that would establish him as one of if not the worst president ever - came following his death, when the misconduct of Harding's Secretary of the Interior and several other political appointees was uncovered.

Harding, himself was not a party to this misconduct, and that's a significant fact which Russell seems strangely uninterested in. Maybe this criticism is unfair, since Russell wrote this book in 1968, before the debacle that was the Nixon presidency. Russell had no means to compare the merely incompetent Harding with the agressive unethical Dick Nixon. A modern reader can't help but do so.

By book's end, I came to find Harding a sympathetic figure; an average guy who deserved better than he got. (His marital infidelities aren't attractive - but we seem willing to forgive FDR and JFK for these kind of failings. If they get a pass for being unfaithful husbands, it isn't fair to deny Harding the same.)

An interesting read, but be advised that Russell in 1968 lacked the sensitivities we expect now. African Americans are "Negroes" and there's a statement about "inscrutable Orientals" as well. Harding's sister Mary was blind and Russell never misses an opportunity to refer to her as "pathetic" or "the flawed Mary".

Harding's relatives won a lawsuit to keep his love letters to his first mistress out of the public's hands . . . until 2014. We'll see, next year, what effect these letters have on Harding's image. Heaven knows the man deserves better than he's gotten to this point.

[Gery · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weighing in at 663 pages of biographical prose, Francis Russell's biography of Warren G. Harding is an example of a book that could have used an editor to cut out about half of the dull information presented herein.

In my attempt to read biographies of all US Presidents, I usually chose a single book of 500+ pages chronicling the life of each president in order to get an extended picture of their life and impact upon the United States. This book however, which at times was so incredibly boring and tedious to read, has convinced me that the legacies of some Presidents just don't merit such a long biography.

It appeared that the author was truly trying to describe every single person personally known to Warren Gamaliel Harding in excessive detail. The book could rightfully have been condensed to less than 500 pages if the laborious descriptions of the Teapot Dome scandal and the vote-by-vote process of the 1920 Republican Party convention had been given the short space they actually deserved (or had been converted into short separate books).

While the beginning of the book gave me high hopes, by the middle and towards the end I was so frustrated and frankly bored by this book that I had to heavily skim read through chapters
II. The Shadow of Blooming Grove
III. The Father
XIV. Candidate
XV. Dark Convention
XVIII. Scandal
XX. Last Journey
XXII. Centenary
In chapter 20, Russell lists in mind-numbing detail the exact ports and stations Harding pulled into on his last trip, and who met him when and where. Following Harding's death, Russell manages to describe the funeral procession once again in mind-numbing detail, as if to allow a Harding fanatic to recreate the exact path his casket travelled. The final chapter should have been replaced by a chapter on Harding's long-term impact and legacy.

2.5 stars (rounded down).

[Tom Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a slog. Not that it was uninteresting. It would grab me in fits and starts, and then it would overwhelm me with it's length and detail. Harding was an interesting man. He seemed to be an epicurean who was constantly looking for pleasure, happiness, and accolades but who would find himself in over his head. He seems to have been a very charismatic man. The book was a pretty comprehensive biography. It even goes a bit meta in the last chapter as the author discusses the discovery of a cache of Harding's letters to his mistress Carrie Phillips. Quite noticeable throughout the book were sections of dashed lines where quotes from those letters were deleted after the Harding family sued Russell to stop him from publishing them. These letters were released last year. In addition, Harding's paternity of Nan Britton's daughter, Elizabeth Ann, was proven recently through DNA testing. I recommend not only reading this book, but a google search of recent Harding stories.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed reading the book, it was nothing special. It portrayed one of the lesser known presidents as a person whose non-antagonist demeanor, and ability to not take sides catapult him into the White House, a job he really did not want.

I thought the author did a nice job of weaving the mundane life of a person who did not really do many extraordinary things with the tantalizing details of two extra-marital affairs.

What separates this bio from the more than 20 presidential bios I have read, is the numerous chapters after his death. It is needed because much of Harding’s legacy was formed after his death- the uncovering of mass corruption by numerous cabinet officials; the discovery of love letters from Harding to his mistress (one of two extra marital affairs); and the delay in dedicating him memorial.

[Jan (the Gryphon) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography of Warren G. Harding went back to his great-great-grandfather to explain the continuing scandal that plagued his family even after Warren G. Harding's death. There were unsubstantiated rumors that Harding had African-American ancestry and also that Florence Kling Harding, his wife, had murdered him by poison.

Harding apparently spent more time making time with ladies other than his wife than paying attention to what his cronies and cabinet members were doing.

Oddly, there were no photographs or portraits of Harding, his family members or friends in this biography. The text was compelling enough to make up for this omission.

[Kristie Helms · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just really horribly written and disappointing. Going into the Trump administration, I thought it might be helpful to learn more about the man rated by many as the worst US president of all time.

This book was so densely written -- and wandering with facts about a mistress tucked into a paragraph about a Congressional proposal -- that it was impossible to really read.

I've marked this one as "read" though it was really more "skimmed and skipped".

Disappointing.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thorough and fascinating look at a presidency marked by scandal. At the time the book was written, the president's estate sued to have many of the love letters redacted; however, now many of them can be found online, making the book an even more interesting read.

If you're looking for a great biography of Harding & politics from the Gilded Era to the early 1920s - I'd highly recommend this one!

[Curt Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harding was not the greatest President we ever had; many say he was the worst. He was one of the least likely and least suited. Perhaps because of the nature of the man as well as the narrative, I have given it a 3. The book is dry and sometimes difficult to wade through. It is one of the few indebth discussions of this limited statesman. Worth the effort but not much more.

[Brian Bridgeforth · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the presidential biography classics of one of the worst performing presidents in history. It is probably worth noting that the "shadow of Blooming Grove"...the racist allegations of Harding having black ancestors that dogged his public life... has been proved false in the age of DNA testing. And DNA has also confirmed that the story of Harding having an illegitimate child are true.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good biography on someone who should never have been President. The only dodgy element is that Russell couldn't directly quote some love letters written by Harding to his mistress, so he included them as dashes (----- --- -----). Aside from that, a very good presidential biography.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite long, considering Harding was only president for a couple of years, but I was quickly drawn in. Between his romantic life, family life, and the politics of how he ended up president without really aspiring to it, I found Harding to be a fascinating figure.

[Diskojoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best book that I ever fished out of the garbage.

[Mitchell Kaufman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a landmark biography, still one of the finest biographies I have ever read...twice.

[Ken Gould · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of knocks on it. John Dean (yes, the Nixon John Dean) referred to Francis Russell as an out and out racist. He may have been, but I didn't get that sense from the Shadow of Blooming Grove. I also read another book on Harding, The Harding Era by Robert McCoy, which mostly covers just the years of his administration. I'll cover that in another review, but it is interesting because McCoy's was written a year after Russell's as a direct response to it. McCoy stated that Russell presented Harding as a flawed man and flawed president, partly because of Harding's alleged "negroid" ancestry (which has since been disproven.) Never mind the fact that it wouldn't matter whether Harding did have African-Americans on his family tree, I never got the sense that Russell made the argument that Harding was incredibly flawed nor that those flaws originated from "negroid" blood (that claim would certainly have made Russell a racist.) I more got the sense that Russell saw Harding as sympathetic and tragic. But that may have just been me.

That doesn't mean this book--Russell's book--is without its own flaws. Russell doesn't present Harding's presidential years in as much detail as McCoy does. But McCoy also lops off most of Harding's activities outside the presidency, which allows him to leave off much of the real negative swipes at Harding, including Harding's affair with Nan Briton, who was 30 years younger than Harding and with whom Harding had sex in a closet in the White House. Russell covers that personal stuff in detail, some might argue too much detail. But I don't see how you get to know Harding without it. I thought Russell's book was well-written and the narrative interesting, but I also see the point of others who label it salacious. There are about 12 sentences spread throughout the book that were completely unnecessary, such as during Harding's trip to Alaska, he was surrounded by girls with "heaving bosoms" or something like that. And when he met Nan in New York, he knew at that moment he "wanted her" (hard to see how Russell knew what Harding wanted). You can see why this book was the book-of-the-month selection in 1968.

All that being said, I found the description of the "smoke-filled room" at the 1920 RNC convention in Chicago, where Harding was allegedly chosen, very fascinating. I found the stories of Harding's affairs with Nan Briton and Carrie Philips, which McCoy barely expounds upon (thus avoiding sullying Harding anymore than McCoy has to), fascinating reading. I enjoyed the details about the rumors of Harding's African-American descent interesting. Russell offers a story his grandfather told explaining the origins of that rumor, though we don't know if the story has any truth to it. We also learn about a guy named Chancellor, a race-obsessed white supremacist, who tried to prevent Harding's election by distributing pamphlets at the 1920 convention and writing a book based on an erroneous Harding family tree.

Yes, McCoy does a more thorough, if heavily biased, job in covering the administration of Harding, but Russell does a much better job on Harding the man. You really can't understand a president without understanding both. The man informs the office, and the office and the political climate together shape the man.

All in all, Harding was a flawed man. I don't think there is any denying it, unless you simply ignore what came before his presidency as McCoy does. His marriage wasn't that affectionate; he had affairs. One was 30 years younger, another was a German sympathizer (and the wife of a friend) who threatened to expose him if he didn't vote against going to war. He seems to have felt trapped by the presidency and admitted to Hoover that he could handle his enemies. It was his friends that were the problem. None of the scandals were his fault yet unfortunately, the negative aura surrounding his administration, the tens years of legal actions after his death, the suicide of Jesse Smith months before Harding's death, and Nan Briton's sensational The President's Daughter, published in 1927 (DNA has now proven Harding was the father)--all this has left a stench on the Harding administration that is hard to erase, regardless of his policies or stewardship of the country. I believe Harding truly was a tragic figure.

Harding's papers were released in the 1960s. Russell includes a very interesting final chapter on how he came across the love letters to Carrie Philips in Marion, Ohio. As far as I know, the Russell and McCoy books are probably about the best you can find. I recommend both of them for a full picture, though I still feel this book is better written and is the more interesting narrative.

[David Oskutis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy party boy Presidents, Batman! In an age of supposed "better" decorum and manners, Harding sure knew how to have "fun." While definitely a familiar name, not many know much about Warren Galamiel Harding other than that he was once a President. And, truth be told, on the surface, that is exactly how he wanted it. In fact, he even doubted his desire to be President right up to just before his nomination, he was having too much fun as a Senator. He reluctantly agreed to let his name be thrown in the ring, as a third option, as a sounding board for the people who weren't sold on either of the two favorites...but as sometimes happens, the two leading candidates (and their followers) end up cancelling each other out, each realizing their guy wasn't going to win, but not wanting to support the other, so they picked the third place candidate, and bang, Harding is President.

Never mind the fact that he's regularly running up thousands of dollars (in early 1900's money, at that) in alcohol tabs, even as Prohibition is being floated his way, (he'd often respond that it's a good idea with a whiskey in his hand), and he's also been having an affair with a woman (Carrie Phillips) who was also married, and that couple was best friends with the Hardings (Warren and his wife, Duchess). They traveled together, played cards, the women went on shopping sprees, and all the while, Warren and Carrie were having a torrid affair. His letters, a matter of great contention with the Harding and Phillips estates, were nearly x-rated. On top of this affair, though, Warren met a beautiful high school girl named Nan (while Warren owned his own newspaper and was just getting into politics)...and they began writing letters back and forth, and a few years later, with Nan in her early 20's, Warren begins an affair with her. That carries up to his being a Senator in Washington - to the point where he impregnates her in his Senatorial office. He sends Nan money, every month, often writing 20 and 30 page love letters to her, later, he sneaks her into the White House and has sex with her in one of the closets (as one of the only rooms without windows) fairly regularly, recruiting Secret Service to keep it hidden from Duchess, and all while denying he is the father of Nan's child.

But, none of this comes out while Warren is President. It's only after his untimely death, 3 years into his Presidency, that the scandals start to come out. And boy do they. 3 Cabinet members, several aides and confidants, all tangled up in scandal after scandal. The Teapot Dome scandal probably being the most famous (but hardly the only one). So many scandals that defenders of Harding actually hypothesized that he didn't even die of natural causes - some say he commit suicide to avoid dealing with the scandals, other say he was killed (some even say by his wife, but not because of his affairs, but because of his embezzlement of money). The deaths of those involved with the scandals afterward are also lumped into conspiracy theories.

But the world doesn't know much about it because of what happens in the rest of the world shortly after his death. The "Roaring Twenties" (not actually that Roaring, until revived interest in the 50's), give a false sense of hope under Coolidge, and soon The Great Depression and WWII wash away any concern or judgment of Warren and his affairs. His winning campaign motto of Returning America to a Sense of Normalcy (on the heels of WWI) would soon have the entire country knowing that there is no normal. And there is no going back to "the way things were." They ought to make a movie.

[Jim Gallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knowing little about Warren Harding, I started “The Shadow of Blooming Grove” to remedy that deficiency. I made my way through this long, detailed tome, following the Harding story from his family background to his legacy at the Centennial of his birth.

Harding was a man of contradictions. Handsome, but undisciplined, outgoing, though with a hidden life and trusting, but betrayed by his friends. He is depicted in this biography as an intellectual light weight with a slack work ethic, who never-the-less reached the White House. Apparently willing to enjoy easy jobs, such as lieutenant governor of Ohio, which he held, or vice-president, which he did not, he was selected in the proverbial smoke-filled room in some hotel, as a compromise candidate for president and rode the post-World War I backlash into office. Though remembered primarily for the scandals of his cabinet members, he was, in his lifetime, a popular president who participated in the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington and promoted the Washington Naval Conference that resulted in an early arms control agreement.

The hidden life was his relationships with women. Married to Florence, whom he called Duchess, he carried on a series of romantic encounters, most prominently with Carrie Phillips, the wife of a friend, and Nan Britton, mother of their child. The Phillips story is straight-forward enough. Trapped in a loveless marriage with a domineering wife, he found solace in a woman with whom he, and their spouses, often traveled. The Nan Britton tale is bizarre. A high-school girl with a crush, who decorated her room with his posters, Nan pursued him and he willingly entered into a life-long (for him) relationship.

Harding could not escape scandal. From the legend going back at least to his grandfather that the Hardings had African blood, through the political hacks he appointed to prominent positions to his own womanizing, his place in history was doomed to the shadows.

Author Francis Russell has crafted a detailed chronicle of a life of a man who was described, perhaps accurately by Alice Roosevelt Longworth, as “a slob.” While documenting the shadows, he does not neglect Harding’s accomplishment, such as successfully running a Marion, Ohio Newspaper, although some credit Florence with its growth and prosperity, and attracting a strong enough of a following to be elected President. I recommend “The Shadow of Blooming Grove” to readers seeking an in-depth account of Harding’s life and are willing to stick through to the end.