Well, perhaps Harding is "the most despised chief exec" only in the minds of the left-leaning academics who are the usual folks rating the presidents.
But he certainly wasn't despised by the American people whom he served in the White House. When he died in office (from natural causes) in 1923, there was a massive and spontaneous outpouring of grief around the country.
Harding's administration, applying what is now known as "supply side economics," pushed a large tax cut through Congress which helped to revitalize the economy after a severe recession in 1920. You could argue that his Treasury Secretary, Andrew Mellon, was the father of the "supply side" theory, which unfortunately fell out of vogue from then until it was revived during the Reagan years.
As for the Harding administration's scandals, there is no historical evidence linking the President directly to any of them. The worst that can be said about Harding ethically is that he didn't properly vet a couple of his Cabinet members who turned out to be corrupt.
Intriguing! I’ll have to read more about this Mellon fellow. First I’ve heard of him.
Thanks justiceseeker93.
Liberals have vilified him for years while deifying FDR and woodrow wilson..
Liberals have vilified him for years while deifying FDR and woodrow wilson..
Thanks for the ping!
Thanks, js93!