Harding , as a politician respected by both Republicans and Progressives , was asked to be temporary chairman of the 1916 Republican National Convention and to deliver the keynote address . He urged delegates to stand as a united party . The convention nominated Justice Charles Evans Hughes . Harding reached out to Roosevelt once the former president declined the 1916 Progressive nomination , a refusal that effectively scuttled that party . In the November 1916 presidential election , despite increasing Republican unity , Hughes was narrowly defeated by Wilson
declined the 1916 Progressive nomination
1916 Progressive National Convention
Warren G. Harding