From Ohio History Central Charles Forbes served as chairman of
the Bureau of Veterans' Affairs during President Warren G.
Harding's administration. In 1920, Harding, an Ohioan, won
election as president of the United States of America. As
president, for the most part, Harding proved to be a poor
manager of the federal government. He delegated authority to his
cabinet officials. These men became known as the "Ohio Gang,"
because they supposedly were a gang of thieves from Ohio. In
reality, most of the men linked to the Ohio Gang were not from
Harding?s home state. Forbes was one of the members of the Ohio
Gang, although he was not from Ohio. Forbes served as the
director of the newly created Bureau of Veterans' Affairs.
Harding created this office to assist veterans from World War I
and other conflicts involving the United States. Forbes,
himself, served in the United States Marine Corps during World
War I. He had served in the miltary before World War I, and at
one point, his superiors designated him as a des