Mrs. Harding with camera. Florence Mabel Kling Harding (August 15, 1860 - November 21, 1924) was the wife of Warren G. Harding, and First Lady of the United States from 1921 to 1923. Aiming to become a concert pianist, Florence began studies at the Cincin
Mrs. Harding with camera. Florence Mabel Kling Harding (August 15, 1860 - November 21, 1924) was the wife of Warren G. Harding, and First Lady of the United States from 1921 to 1923. Aiming to become a concert pianist, Florence began studies at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, but at 19 she eloped with Henry DeWolfe. She gave birth to her only child, Marshall Eugene, in 1880, but the couple separated and were divorced in 1886. In 1890, Florence became engaged to Warren Gamaliel Harding, owner of the Marion Star. They married in 1891 and had no children of their own. As a White House hostess, Florence presided over elegant parties, where her husband would refer to her as The Duchess. But she also moved with the times, flying in planes, launching new fashions like the silk neckband, showing after-dinner movies, and discreetly serving alcohol to guests during Prohibition. She made her views known on everything from the League of Nations to vivisection, racism and women's suffrage. Her own special agenda was the welfare of war veterans, whose cause she championed wholeheartedly. By 1923, both Florence and her husband were suffering from dangerous illnesses, but still undertook a coast-to-coast rail tour. After a bad reaction to seafood, he was rushed to San Francisco's Palace Hotel, where he died, at the age of 57. Florence had intended to make a new life in Washington, and was planning a tour of Europe, but her kidney ailment returned. Her last public appearance was at the local Remembrance Day parade, where she stood to salute the veterans. A few days later, she died of renal failure, at the age of 64. Photographed by Harris & Ewing, circa 1921-23.
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