Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was an American politician and the twenty-ninth President of the United States, from 1921 to 1923, when he became the sixth president to die in office. A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential newspaper publisher with a commanding presence and a flair for public speaking. He served in the Ohio Senate (1899–1903) and later as lieutenant governor of Ohio (1903–1905) and as a U.S. Senator (1915–1921). His political leanings were conservative, which enabled him to become the compromise choice at the 1920 Republican National Convention. In the 1920 election, he coined the phrase "return to normalcy" and defeated his Democratic opponent, James M. Cox, in a landslide, 60.36 % to 34.19%. As president, he appointed a strong cabinet, led by Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes, Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon and Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover. However some other appointments proved to be corrupt. In foreign affairs, Harding signed peace treaties which formally ended World War I, and led the way to world naval disarmament at the Washington Naval Conference of 1921–22. Harding died in San Francisco, California, 27 months into his term, at age 57 from a heart attack.
Due to multiple scandals involving others in his administration, Harding is ranked by most scholars as the worst President ever to serve. Indeed, Harding himself is often quoted as saying, "I am not fit for this office and never should have been here."