Warren G. Harding was President of the United States.
Warren Gamaliel Harding ( November 2 , 1865 -- August 2 , 1923 ) was the 29th President of the United States , serving from March 4 , 1921 , until his death in 1923 . At the time of his death , he was one of the most popular presidents , but the subsequent exposure of scandals that took place under his administration , such as Teapot Dome , eroded his popular regard , as did revelations of an affair by Nan Britton , one of his mistresses . He won in a landslide over Democrat James M. Cox and Socialist Party candidate Eugene Debs , running on a theme of return to normalcy and becoming the first sitting senator to be elected president .