The news of his death was a shock to the nation, close friends and loved ones alike. He seemed so robust, big and strong. He was over six foot tall, handsome, friendly, unassuming and generous. In fact, the common view of Warren G. Harding was that more than anything he looked presidential. After the previous three presidents (Theodore Roosevelt who was like an actor bigger than life playing a part for history, William Taft who was just plain big, and Woodrow Wilson the cold distant intellectual who acted as savior to the world) this man, the first to be elected in an election finally allowing full participation by women, seemed a calming influence. Like the famous campaign phrase that brought him to office he seemed a "Return to Normalcy."
Now, midway through his term of office, he was dead. There had been no apparent sign of the approach of death for this relatively young president. At 58 he continued to love to travel, one of the most traveled presidents thus far in history, and meet the people. Assistants always had to try and reign him in. He would always stop in front of any crowd at the White House or train stop and shake hands and greet those who he had asked for their vote.
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