Born on a farm, Harding was the eldest of eight children of George Tryon Harding and Phoebe Dickerson Harding; his ancestry combined English, Scottish, and Dutch stock. His father later left farming to become a physician. Following amediocreeducation at local schools inOhioand three years at ...
Harding was never personallyimplicatedin the scandals, but he was aware of the actions of Forbes, Smith, and the Ohio Gang and failed to bring theircorruptionto light. By the mid-1920s the public began to regard Harding as a man who simply did not measure up to the responsibilities of hi...