By 1920, the United States of America was on the brink radical transformation thanks to the progressive policies of Woodrow Wilson. Too much power was now in the hands of the president and a huge, oppressive government. One US senator, Warren G. Harding, and a rising star in the party from Massachusetts, Governor Calvin Coolidge, didn’t care for the direction the country was taking. Coolidge, whose strong stance against organized labor resonated with the American public, became a favored son for the presidency. Although he didn’t receive the nomination, the delegates refused to keep him off the ticket and nominated him for the vice presidency. When Warren Harding died in August 1923, Calvin Coolidge, who had spent a life preparing for higher public office, was sworn in as the 30th president of the United States.