Symposium will bring together experts on the life of Warren G. Harding to discuss his presidency, life, and impacts he had on the U.S., the world, and history in general. The Warren G. Harding Symposium, set for July 23 and 24, is an academic, social, and cultural exploration of the life and times of America's 29th president.
Organizers say the Warren G. Harding Symposium presents in-depth analysis and research by authors, historians, researchers, and experts on the Harding Era and related areas of interest.
The Warren G. Harding Symposium is a collaboration between The Ohio State University at Marion, the Ohio Historical Society, Marion Technical College, Harding Home & Memorial, and Marion County Historical Society.
Proceeds from the event will benefit “Home Town History on Wheels,” a charitable outreach of the Harding Home.
As author James Robenalt, The Harding Affair: Love & Espionage During the Great War, said during a recent interview, “I really think it is the time right now to take another look at Warren Harding. My research in writing this book led me to see pretty clearly that his reputation as a president was totally overwhelmed by scandals, innuendo and mythology that grew up after his presidency. I’m really pleased that you guys are doing it. It’s important, I think, that its genesis is in Marion.”
Among the topics that will be explored by Robenalt will be Harding’s foreign policy in relation to his predecessor, Woodrow Wilson’s. Had Harding run for president four years earlier, instead of being dissuaded by Carrie Phillips of Marion, could the course of world history have been dramatically changed? Robenalt thinks so.
“I have come to see that what Wilson did and the way he conducted himself caused a lot of the disaster that happened in the rest of that century,” explained Robenalt. “We really came in on the side of the allies and ended up with a peace that was lopsided and that was unfair to Germany and that gave rise to Adolph Hitler directly as a result of all of that. Wilson made some very strategic blunders. He did them in good faith. He really did believe that ‘making the world safe for democracy’ was the way to go, but Warren Harding saw it differently. As you look at it differently and say, ‘Well, maybe it isn’t our role to go and change people’s governments by force. Maybe our role is to be the best example to the world of a democracy that we can be and to defend ourselves but not to go and interfere with other people’s governments—maybe that is the correct thing.’ And that’s what Harding believed, and in fact I think the world would have been very different had he been president and had he brokered that peace at the end of the war.”
You can listen to the entire interview with Robenalt by clicking here.
That is just one of the controversial topics that will be explored during the Symposium seminars. Sherry Hall who manages the Harding Home and Gale Martin who manages the Marion County Historical Society will explore some of the true—and not-so-true—facts that have circulated around Harding since his death in 1923.
President Harding’s great nephew, Warren G. Harding III will present the final seminar, “Harding, the Legacy” as he replays some of President Harding’s speeches and interprets the meaning behind the words. Dr. Harding represents the blood connection to Marion’s famous son and has written extensively about his great uncle’s speeches and legacy.
The Man, the Myth, and the Legacy, July 23-24, will be the first presentation of the Warren G. Harding Symposium. This two-day event will feature:
- VIP Wine and Cheese Open House at the Harding Home
- Guided tours of the Harding Home and Museum, the Harding Memorial, and the Marion County Historical Society
- Workshop sessions featuring noted authors and Harding researchers
- Gala Dinner featuring extensive exhibits of Harding memorabilia, period antique automobiles, and a panel discussion.
To attend the Symposium, click here for a registration form.
The Presenters
Sherry Hall is site manager of President Harding’s Home in Marion. She has served as interim site manager the past year, and education specialist at the site the past eight years. She recently was named the 2010 recipient of Phi Delta Kappa Marion Area of Ohio’s award for educational leadership. A graduate of Heidelberg College, she was a newspaper editor and journalist for a number of years at several Ohio newspapers, including the The (Canton) Repository, The Marion Star, and the The Alliance Review. In addition, she was a marketing manager for Fulfillment Corporation of America.
Warren G. Harding III, M.D. is an orthopaedic surgeon with a special interest in shoulder problems. He has been associated with Wellington Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine since 1975. A fourth generation Ohio physician and grandnephew of Warren G. Harding, 29th President of the United States, Dr. Harding has also developed an interest in history and government. He recently edited the republication (University of Missouri Press, 2003) of President Harding’s book Our Common Country: Mutual Goodwill in America, the guide and blueprint for "a return to “normalcy” after World War I. The book’s relevance to the solution of current world problems is of special interest.
Gale Martin is the executive director of the Marion County Historical Society. A graduate of The Ohio State University, she directs the operations and maintenance of all Marion County Historical Society properties and holdings. Together with the MCHS board of trustees, Gail initiates and carries out educational programs, oversees collections management, and acts as the liaison between the society and the community. At Heritage Hall, she is curator of the society’s extensive Harding Collection and is in demand as a speaker and presenter.
Dr. Niall Palmer is a lecturer in American Politics at Brunel University in Great Britain. He is a Fellow of the Institute for the Study of the Americas and formerly served on the faculty of Bristol University. Recognized as an expert in the political history of the 1920’s and the Harding administration, Dr. Palmer is the author of The Twenties in America: Politics and History. He is currently preparing a revisionist history of the administration of President Warren G. Harding.
James Robenalt is a partner in Thompson Hine LLP, a law firm based in Cleveland, Ohio. He was born and raised not far from Warren G. Harding’s hometown in western Ohio, and comes from a family of leading Ohio Democrats. He is the author of Linking Rings: William Durbin and the Magic and Mystery of America, which explores Ohio politics from the campaign of 1896 through the 1932 election of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Mr. Robenalt’s newest book, The Harding Affair, Love and Espionage During the Great War, was recently published by Palgrave McMillan.
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