Harding, Florence Kling (1860-1924) Wife of President Warren G. Harding;; she served as First Lady from 1921 to 1923. A remarkable Autograph Letter Signed "Florence Kling Harding," 4pp, 6¾ x 5 in., n.p., n.d. (Oct. 1923). To Harding's intimate friend and senior aid, Major O.M. Baldinger, referring to his letter of Oct. 12 and discussing the famously controversial "Harding files" that she spirited away from the White House after Harding's death on August 2. In part: "…I suggest you hold all of my files until I come to Washington. As soon as I have decided where I am going to stay I will…go through them….See if you can sell my Loco [Locomobile], for really I ought to have a closed car. …Please thank Mr. Rockwell for…the stamps…I have used them long ago and a number of hundred since then. Indeed I write letters until I am nearly finished…." A postscript says, "Tell me what's going on…." Some ink brushing, else fine. President Harding died while on a transcontinental public relations tour to try to smooth over some of the damage from the various scandals (the worst being the Tea Pot Dome Scandal) which were rocking his administration. Florence's refusal to allow an autopsy aroused suspicions of the cause of death, even though the cause was officially listed as a stroke. In an attempt to protect Harding's reputation, she burned many of the files to which she refers in this letter.
Estimated Value $700 - 1,000.