Representative John Eugene Harding

John Eugene Harding (June 27, 1877 – July 26, 1959) was an American businessman and Republican politician who served one term as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio from 1907 to 1909. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, and as a member of the House of Representatives he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents in Ohio’s Third Congressional District.

Harding was born on June 27, 1877, in Excello, Butler County, Ohio, the son of Abram E. Harding, a paper manufacturer, and his wife Christine. He grew up in a community shaped by the paper industry, which would later influence his own business career. He attended the public schools in nearby Amanda Village, reflecting a typical local education for a child of his era and background.

Pursuing further education, Harding attended the Pennsylvania Military Academy at Chester, Pennsylvania, where he received military and academic training. He subsequently enrolled at the University of Michigan, from which he graduated. His university education provided him with a broader intellectual foundation and prepared him for both business and public life.

After completing his studies, Harding returned to Ohio and engaged in business and industrial enterprises in Middletown, Ohio. He became involved in the family paper business, the Harding Paper Company, which operated a mill at his birthplace of Excello. Through this work he established himself as a businessman and industrialist, contributing to the economic development of his region and gaining experience that would later inform his legislative interests.

Harding entered public life as a member of the Ohio Senate, to which he was elected in 1902. His service in the state legislature marked his formal entry into politics and the Republican Party. Building on his state-level experience, he successfully ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1906 as a Republican and was elected to the Sixtieth Congress from Ohio’s Third District. He served in Congress from 1907 to 1909, completing one term in office. During this period he contributed to the legislative process as a Republican member of the House, representing his constituents’ interests during a time of national economic and political change.

In 1908 Harding sought reelection to Congress, but he ran as an independent candidate and was defeated, bringing his brief congressional career to a close. He remained active in party affairs for a time and served as a delegate to the Republican State convention in 1910, maintaining his connection to Republican politics even after leaving federal office.

Following his retirement from public service, Harding returned to private enterprise. He continued in the paper business, relocating to Chicago, Illinois, where he engaged in commercial activities related to his longstanding industry. In 1921 he moved to New York City and became associated with the Pure Oil Company, with which he was connected from 1921 to 1926. After his work with Pure Oil, he remained involved in various industrial enterprises, drawing on his extensive business experience, until his retirement in 1949.

John Eugene Harding died on July 26, 1959, in New Haven, Connecticut, at the age of 82. He was interred in Woodside Cemetery in Middletown, Ohio, returning in death to the region where he had built his business career and begun his public service.