Harry M. Daugherty

Harry Daugherty
Daugherty in 1920
51st United States Attorney General
In office
March 4, 1921 – April 6, 1924
PresidentWarren G. Harding
Calvin Coolidge
Preceded byMitchell Palmer
Succeeded byHarlan F. Stone
Personal details
Born(1860-01-26)January 26, 1860
Washington Court House, Ohio, U.S.
DiedOctober 12, 1941(1941-10-12) (aged 81)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseLucie Walker
EducationUniversity of Michigan (LLB)

Harry Micajah Daugherty (/ˈd.ərti/; January 26, 1860 – October 12, 1941) was an American politician. A key Republican political insider from Ohio, he is best remembered for his service as Attorney General of the United States under presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge, as well as for his involvement in the Teapot Dome scandal during Harding's presidency.

Despite his status as a key political leader of the Ohio Republican Party from the 1880s to the first decade of the 20th century, Daugherty was only briefly a statewide elected politician by serving just two terms in the Ohio General Assembly, working closely during the last two years with state governor William McKinley. Although he sought national office several times, Daugherty was thwarted in his effort to obtain the nomination of his party and was never elected to office again.

Daugherty remained an influential figure behind the election of several U.S. representatives and senators. He was Harding's campaign manager at the 1920 Republican National Convention. Following Harding's successful election, Daugherty was named attorney general. In that capacity, he was instrumental in winning presidential pardons for jailed anti-war dissidents such as Eugene V. Debs. Twice the subject of federal corruption investigations, Daugherty was forced in 1924 to resign his post as attorney general by Coolidge.