Florence Harding

Florence Mabel Kling "Flossie" Harding (previously DeWolfe; August 15, 1860, Marion, Ohio – November 21, 1924), wife of President Warren G. Harding, was the First Lady of the United States from 1921 to 1923.

Early life

She was born Florence Kling, the daughter of Amos Kling, a prominent Marion, Ohio banker, and Louisa Bouton Kling.

Pregnant at age 19, Florence eloped with Henry "Pete" Athenton DeWolfe, her childhood friend and neighbor, in 1880. To date, scholastic researchers have been unable to locate official documentation or a legal marriage license for the couple, leading to the belief that DeWolfe and Harding were never civilly married, but instead declared common law marriage as allowed at the time in Ohio. DeWolfe proved a spendthrift and a heavy drinker. Shortly after the birth of their son Marshall Eugene DeWolfe (also known as Marshall Eugene Kling) in 1880, Florence left her husband and returned to Marion. She divorced DeWolfe in 1886 and resumed her maiden name; he died at age 34.

She refused financial help from her wealthy father and supported herself and her son by giving piano lessons; she had studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music before her marriage. Eventually, she let her parents raise the boy.

Mrs. Harding

Florence met "Wurr'n" -- as she pronounced his first name -- in 1890. Harding, the young publisher of the town's only daily newspaper, the Marion Daily Star (now the Marion Star) and they soon became engaged. Her father, Amos Kling, was displeased with her choice. He even accosted his future son-in-law on the street, calling him names and threatening his life if he did not leave his daughter alone.

Warren Harding, aged 25, married Florence Harding, aged 30, at his home in Marion, Ohio, on July 8, 1891. The couple did not have children of their own; however, Florence's son lived with them from time to time. The young man idolized his stepfather, and hoped to become a newspaperman himself one day.

The marriage was less than happy. Harding neglected his wife and sought refuge from her demands in the camaraderie of his friends and with other women. But her martial demeanor and managerial skills helped him build his newspaper into a financial success.

As circulation manager of the Marion Star for 14 years, Florence saw that the paper was distributed efficiently and subscriptions were paid up. "Mrs. Harding in those days ran the show," recalled one of her newsboys, Norman Thomas, later the Socialist presidential candidate. "Her husband was the front,...it was she who was the real driving power in the success that the Marion Star was unquestionably making its community."

The First Lady

Harding became United States Republican Party nominee for President in 1920 and "the Duchess", as he called her, worked tirelessly for his election. In her own words: "I have only one real hobby—my husband."

Florence had never been a guest at the White House; and former President Taft, meeting the President-elect and Mrs. Harding, discussed its social customs with her and stressed the value of ceremony. Writing to his wife Helen Taft, he opined that the new First Lady was "a nice woman" and would "readily adapt herself." As First Lady, Mrs. Harding hosted elegant garden parties and mixed readily with guests.

In Washington, Mrs. Harding became deeply interested in astrology. Early in 1920, when Harding was still a dark-horse contender for the Republican presidential nomination, she visited Madam Marcia, a noted clairvoyant in the capital, who predicted that her husband was a shoo-in, but added that he would die suddenly in office. Mrs. Harding embarked with her husband on his nationwide "Voyage of Understanding" in the summer of 1923. She was at his side when the President died in San Francisco, California on August 2,1923.

Following the death of President Harding, the former First Lady set about making a new life for herself. Her intention was to remain in Washington, temporarily staying at Friendship, the estate of her best friend, Evalyn Walsh McLean, best known as the owner of the Hope Diamond. However, when Mrs Harding's long-standing kidney ailment flared up, her friend and the former Surgeon General, Dr. Charles E. Sawyer, insisted that she return to Marion for treatment and recovery. She died there of renal failure less than 16 months later, and was buried next to her husband.

References

• Original text based on White House biography

External links

• Florence Harding - National First Ladies' Library