New Book Traces History of Warren G. Harding's Image

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y., Feb. 11, 2009 — A new book by St. Bonaventure University faculty member Dr. Phillip G. Payne explores how Warren G. Harding’s name became synonymous with corruption, cronyism, and incompetence and how it is used to this day as an example of what a president should not be.

Payne’s book, “Dead Last: The Public Memory of Warren G. Harding’s Scandalous Legacy,” was published by Ohio University Press (January 2009).

Payne traces the history of Harding’s image from the election of 1920 to the current debate over George W. Bush’s place in history examining such things as presidential rankings, commemoration and legacy formation, political uses of history and memory, and the role of scandal in popular and political culture.

“Harding is generally considered among the worst of the presidents, typically ranking dead last or as a failure in presidential rankings,” said Payne, associate professor of history at St. Bonaventure.

Ironically, Payne explained, during the 1920 election the Republican campaign carefully crafted an image of Harding as a small-town civic booster. The Harding campaign made effective use of modern techniques to craft Harding’s image that enabled Harding and the Republicans to win a landslide victory. When Harding died in August 1923 he was widely popular. He was commemorated with a memorial, the last significant presidential memorial campaign conducted before the advent of the modern presidential library system.

“However, it was not an image that would last. The revelations of scandals soon ruined Harding’s reputation. Harding would become an icon of presidential failure,” said Payne.

Payne teaches courses in United States and public history at St. Bonaventure. Prior to joining the university faculty in 1998, he worked as the historic site manager at President Warren G. Harding’s Home and Museum in Marion, Ohio.

Payne earned his Ph.D. and master’s degree in history from The Ohio State University. He did his undergraduate work at Marshall University, Huntington, W.Va.

Copies of “Dead Last” are available at Amazon.com and from the publisher at http://www.ohioswallow.com/book/Dead+Last.