March 22, 2024 – Theme Week Day 5

We’ve come to the end of our First Ladies theme week. Today we’re talking about Florence Harding, who was our first lady from 1921 until 1923 as the wife of President Warren G. Harding. After divorcing her first husband in 1886, she married Harding in 1891. At the time he was a newspaper publisher in Marion, Ohio, and Florence became the acknowledged brains behind the business.
She encouraged her husband’s run for Ohio state senate in 1899. It was around this time that Florence started her custom of consulting with an astrologer. She also became active in animal rights, joining the Animal Rescue League, Humane Society, and ASPCA. By 1920, Warren was a contender for the Republican presidential nomination. Florence consulted a Washington clairvoyant named Madame Marcia, who examined Warren’s astrological birth chart and forecast (correctly) that Warren would become president but that he would die in office.
When Florence became first lady in 1921, she immediately took an active role in national politics. In Warren’s first pronouncement as president, he ordered that the gates of the White House be open to the public, per Florence’s wishes. When it did open to the public, Florence offered to act as official tour guide. Many different groups and individuals came to meet her, including famous athletes,  movie stars, and even Albert Einstein. She was the first first lady to send original responses to the many letters she received. And she would often post at the south portico to have her photo taken with large groups. The Hardings’ dog Laddie Boy was a huge hit, inspiring a craze for Airedale terriers.
Florence became very recognizable to the public, appearing at her husbands side in newsreel footage, unveiling statues, attending baseball games, and dedicating the Lincoln Memorial. She also gave more press interviews than all the First Ladies combined. Florence was the first first lady to appear in movies, vote, operate a movie camera, own a radio, and invite movie stars to the White House.
She continued to consult with Madame Marcia, and Marcia was even invited to the White House. She relied on astrology to determine Warren’s personal schedule.  Florence worked to protect her family’s image, concealing Warren’s drinking (it was Prohibition after all), womanizing, and corruption in the cabinet.
In the summer of 1923, Warren and Florence embarked on an ambitious train trip west across the country, north into Canada, and eventually to Alaska. After falling seriously ill while visiting British Columbia, Warren died of a massive heart attack in San Francisco in August 1923 . After his death, Florence’s own health deteriorated and she returned home to Ohio to recuperate. She died of kidney failure just over a year later in November 1924. Learn more here.