The President's Daughter
Encyclopedia
The President's Daughter (1928) is a book written by Nan Britton
, a native of Marion County, Ohio
, USA, who claimed in the book that during a six year relationship, she and then Senator Warren G. Harding
(later the 29th President of the United States) conceived a child together in 1919. The book is considered the first popular best-selling kiss-and-tell American political autobiography published in the United States and caused a sensation when it was released.
It is believed that Britton’s mentor in the project, Richard Wightman, head of the Bible Corporation of America (New York City
), where Britton was employed as a secretary, had substantial input into the book. In his book, The Strange Deaths of President Harding, Indiana University
professor of History Robert H. Ferrell
PhD. states that the there are similarities between phrases in The President's Daughter and Wightman’s other writings, leading Ferrell to conclude that Wightman had substantial, if not complete input into the content of the book. (Britton was also named in Patricia Wightman's divorce suit against Richard Wightman in 1928.)
Unable to find a publisher who was willing to publish and distribute the book, the book was published by the Elizabeth Ann Guild, an organization that Britton founded to take up the cause of children born out of wedlock. Prior to its release, the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice (the same organization once headed by the late Anthony Comstock) arranged for the New York City Police to seize both the unbound printed sheets and the zinc printing plates; all materials were returned to the Elizabeth Ann Guild. Prior to publication, Congressman John Tillman (D-Arkansas) introduced a bill into the United States House of Representatives
attempting to ban the sale of the book stating that the work was "a blast from Hell". Tillman also cited his belief that book was written by a man, not Britton. The measure failed.
While the contents of the book were never challenged in court by members of the Harding family, Britton's claimed relationship with Harding did become the subject of a lawsuit filed by Britton in 1928 against Charles Klunk, who had funded the printing of the book The Answer, in which Ms. Britton's claims were denounced. In court (Britton v. Klunk, 1931, Toledo, Ohio), Britton failed to produce evidence of the relationship that she attested to in the book, and the paternity of Elizabeth Ann by Harding was never established in a court of law.
Britton died in 1991, resolute that Warren Harding had fathered her child. Elizabeth Ann Christian (Elizabeth Ann Blaesing
) died on November 17, 2005; her son told the Cleveland Plain Dealer the following May that she never had an interest in proving her paternity.
Nan Britton
Nan P. "Nanny" Britton was a figure associated with the Presidency of Warren G. Harding due to her claim that Harding fathered her illegitimate daughter shortly before his election as President....
, a native of Marion County, Ohio
Marion County, Ohio
Marion County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 66,501. Its county seat is the city of Marion and is named for General Francis "The Swamp Fox" Marion, an officer in the Revolutionary War....
, USA, who claimed in the book that during a six year relationship, she and then Senator Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
(later the 29th President of the United States) conceived a child together in 1919. The book is considered the first popular best-selling kiss-and-tell American political autobiography published in the United States and caused a sensation when it was released.
It is believed that Britton’s mentor in the project, Richard Wightman, head of the Bible Corporation of America (New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
), where Britton was employed as a secretary, had substantial input into the book. In his book, The Strange Deaths of President Harding, Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
professor of History Robert H. Ferrell
Robert H. Ferrell
Robert H. Ferrell is an American historian and author of several books on Harry S. Truman and the diplomatic history of the United States. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during the Second World War and was an intelligence analyst in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He received a B.S...
PhD. states that the there are similarities between phrases in The President's Daughter and Wightman’s other writings, leading Ferrell to conclude that Wightman had substantial, if not complete input into the content of the book. (Britton was also named in Patricia Wightman's divorce suit against Richard Wightman in 1928.)
Unable to find a publisher who was willing to publish and distribute the book, the book was published by the Elizabeth Ann Guild, an organization that Britton founded to take up the cause of children born out of wedlock. Prior to its release, the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice (the same organization once headed by the late Anthony Comstock) arranged for the New York City Police to seize both the unbound printed sheets and the zinc printing plates; all materials were returned to the Elizabeth Ann Guild. Prior to publication, Congressman John Tillman (D-Arkansas) introduced a bill into the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
attempting to ban the sale of the book stating that the work was "a blast from Hell". Tillman also cited his belief that book was written by a man, not Britton. The measure failed.
While the contents of the book were never challenged in court by members of the Harding family, Britton's claimed relationship with Harding did become the subject of a lawsuit filed by Britton in 1928 against Charles Klunk, who had funded the printing of the book The Answer, in which Ms. Britton's claims were denounced. In court (Britton v. Klunk, 1931, Toledo, Ohio), Britton failed to produce evidence of the relationship that she attested to in the book, and the paternity of Elizabeth Ann by Harding was never established in a court of law.
Britton died in 1991, resolute that Warren Harding had fathered her child. Elizabeth Ann Christian (Elizabeth Ann Blaesing
Elizabeth Ann Blaesing
Elizabeth Ann Britton Harding Blaesing was the alleged illegitimate daughter of Warren G. Harding, the 29th President of the United States, and Nan Britton, a native of Marion, Ohio....
) died on November 17, 2005; her son told the Cleveland Plain Dealer the following May that she never had an interest in proving her paternity.
Sources
- "Democrat Solon Seeks Ban on Book" , International News ServiceInternational News ServiceInternational News Service was a U.S.-based news agency founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.Established two years after the Scripps family founded the United Press Association, INS scrapped among the newswires...
(INS) Wire Report, Mansfield News, Mansfield, OhioMansfield, OhioMansfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Richland County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau, approximately southwest of Cleveland and northeast of Columbus....
, January 27, 1928, frontpage. - Dean, John; Schlesinger, Arthur M. Warren Harding (The American President Series), Times Books, 2004.
- Ferrell, Robert H. The Strange Deaths of President Harding. University of Missouri Press, 1996. ISBN 0-8262-1202-6
- Mee, Charles Jr. The Ohio Gang: A Historical Entertainment.