As United States celebrated her Independence Anniversary, we take a look at those Presidents that were considered not really successful during their tenures as U.S Presidents.
WARREN G. HARDING
On the plus side, his policies were progressive by modern
standards, especially regarding race relations and women's suffrage, and he did
set up the Bureau of the Budget for the national budget.
On the other hand, he filled every office he could,
including ones with a great deal of influence, with his longtime friends and
allies. Corruption was commonplace and even routine. Harry Daugherty, his
Attorney General, was tried twice and acquitted twice for corruption, with hung
juries.
Charles R. Forbes used the Bureau of Veteran Affairs as
his personal money machine, which resulted in very poor treatment of WWI
veterans under Harding.
Lesser offices experienced widespread bribery and
embezzlement, including among Prohibition officers, encouraging rather than
stopping organized crime's control over the liquor trade.
Accounts vary of many aspects of his life, because his
very protective wife destroyed nearly all of his personal and official papers
after his death, but many experts believe he also had multiple extramarital
affairs, compounding his administrative lapses with personal ones.
As if this wasn't enough (and more scandals, including Teapot Dome, came to light later), he died after only two
years in office.
