I recently posted an entry about Warren G. Harding, Ohio’s last (and possibly most dismal) presidential offering, and in the post I discussed Nan Britton. Britton was a young woman from Harding’s hometown who was infatuated with the president (their affair actually started when Harding was a Senator in D.C.). After Harding’s death, Britton wrote The President’s Daughter, in which she alleged Harding fathered her child, Elizabeth Ann Blaesing.
Of course, in a typical move in American politics she was vilified. Her allegation was dismissed as an attempt to scandalize the dead president’s name, but, a recent New York Times article reports Britton’s version of the story is probably true. The Times said,
…according to genealogists, new genetic tests confirm for the first time that Ms. Britton’s daughter, Elizabeth Ann Blaesing, was indeed Harding’s biological child. The tests have solved one of the enduring mysteries of presidential history and offer new insights into the secret life of America’s 29th president.
Britton’s grandson, James Blaesing, 65, a construction contractor in Portland, Ore., said the tests finally vindicate his grandmother Nan.
“She loved him (Harding) until the day she died,” he said. “When she talked about him, she would get the biggest smile on her face. She just loved this guy. He was everything.”
Britton was one of two women, Harding had an affair with — the other was Carrie Phillips. Harding and Phillips, who was married to a family friend, continued their affair for 15 years.
In 2014, the somewhat racy love letters Harding sent to Phillips were released to the public.
Charlie R. Claywell 