President Warren G. Harding's Tomb – Marion, Ohio - Atlas Obscura

President Warren G. Harding's Tomb

This presidential tomb was not dedicated until years after Harding's death due to personal controversy. 

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Built to resemble a Greek temple, the tomb of United States President Warren G. Harding was one of the last of the grandiose presidential memorials, and almost didn’t come to be thanks to the indiscretions of its namesake. 

In addition to being the 29th president of the U.S., Harding was a supporter of alcohol rights, women’s suffrage, and an avid poker player. Unfortunately he was also known for one of the most famous cases of presidential corruption in White House history, the Teapot Dome scandal. While Harding himself never did time for the insider oil scandal, a number of members of his cabinet were indicted and one even committed suicide. As for the president himself, just a couple of years after the scandal broke, Harding came down with a terrible case of indigestion which eventually led to his death. It has been speculated that it was the controversy that ended up killing him.

Due to the tarnished reputation of Harding and his cabinet, Harding’s grand tomb, which was finished in 1927, was not immediately recognized as a historic burial site. It was not until 1931 when Herbert Hoover, who had served in Harding’s cabinet, publicly dedicated the memorial to Harding.

Both Harding and his wife are sealed in visible tombs among the Grecian columns. Not even national oil scandals can penetrate the stone graves.

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