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
Date	June 20 – August 2, 1923 (1923-06-20 – 1923-08-02)
Duration	1 month and 13 days
Location	United States and Canada
Type	Speaking 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

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

1. "President Harding's Voyage of Understanding". White House Historical Association. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
2. 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. 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.