Voyage of Understanding

The Voyage of Understanding (officially the Tour of the President to Alaska) was a trans-continental tour of the Western United States taken by President Warren G. Harding in the summer of 1923. It marked the first time a sitting president visited Alaska and Canada. The tour took place during the final weeks of Harding's life, as he fell ill during the tour and died.

Voyage of Understanding
Harding and company on the presidential train in Alaska
DateJune 20 – August 2, 1923 (1923-06-20 – 1923-08-02)
Duration1 month and 13 days
LocationUnited States and Canada
TypeSpeaking tour

Harding wished to spend time outside of Washington, D.C. following a number of scandals that had begun to cast a shadow over his presidency, most notably the Teapot Dome scandal.[1] He chose to embark on a tour to improve public relations in anticipation of his reelection campaign in 1924.[2] President Harding, along with Florence Harding and a large company of officials, began the tour across the United States aboard the Superb.[1]

On July 5, Harding and his companions arrived in Tacoma, Washington, and boarded the USS Henderson on a voyage to Alaska.[3] During his time in Alaska, he visited Mount McKinley National Park and what is now the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He also attended the completion of the Alaska Railroad in Nenana, where he drove in the final spike.[2] As he concluded the Alaska portion of his tour in late July, Harding began to complain of cramps, indigestion, fever and shortness of breath. He died in San Francisco on August 2. The original cause of death was stated to be a stroke, but it is now believed that he died of a heart attack.[4]

The Harding Railroad Car was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and the Superb was listed in 1998.

Itinerary

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Itinerary[3]
Date City Notes
June 20 Washington, D.C.
June 21 St. Louis, Missouri
June 22 Kansas City, Missouri
June 23 Hutchinson, Kansas
June 24 Denver, Colorado
June 25 Cheyenne, Wyoming
June 26 Salt Lake City, Utah
June 27 Cedar City, Utah Visiting Zion National Park
June 28 Pocatello, Idaho
Idaho Falls, Idaho
June 29 Butte, Montana
Helena, Montana
June 30 Gardiner, Montana Visiting Yellowstone National Park
July 1 Gardiner, Montana
July 2 Spokane, Washington
July 3 Meacham, Oregon
July 4 Portland, Oregon
July 5 Tacoma, Washington Boarded the USS Henderson
July 6-25 Alaska Via the USS Henderson
July 26 Vancouver, British Columbia Via the USS Henderson
July 27 Seattle, Washington Via the USS Henderson
July 28 Portland, Oregon
July 29 Merced, California Visiting Yosemite National Park
July 30 El Portal, California
July 31 San Francisco, California
August 1 Los Angeles, California Canceled
August 2-3 Santa Catalina Island Canceled
August 4 San Diego, California Canceled

References

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  1. ^ a b "President Harding's Voyage of Understanding". White House Historical Association. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  2. ^ a b Reamer, David (2021). "The history of presidential visits to Alaska, starting with Warren G. Harding's ill-fated 'Voyage of Understanding'". Anchorage Daily News.
  3. ^ a b Official Itinerary: The Tour of the President of Alaska. 1923.
  4. ^ Markel, Howard (2015-08-02). "The 'strange' death of Warren G. Harding". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2022-03-07.