2. Warren G. Harding was a prolific adulterer, even fathering a daughter with one of his mistresses, Nan Britton, who was subsequently convicted of libel for telling the truth about the former president
Warren Gamaliel Harding, often ranked among the worst presidents in American history, served as the 29th President of the United States from 1921 until his death in 1923. Initially immensely popular, in the years since his death in office revelations concerning multiple major scandals, including the Teapot Dome, have diminished Harding’s appeal and perception. Most damaging, information disclosing Harding’s extra-marital activities has become indelibly attached to his legacy. Marrying Florence Kling in 1891, the confirmation of potential infidelities did not break until letters between Harding and Carrie Fulton Phillips were discovered in 1963.
Depicting an extensive affair and secret relationship, in the years since historians have uncovered evidence of a further affair with Nan Britton. In 1927, Britton first claimed that her daughter had been fathered by the late president. Publishing The President’s Daughter, the book contained highly controversial details including that the pair had had sex in a White House closet. Sued by the Harding family, who claimed the president had been infertile, Britton was convicted of libel. In 2015, modern DNA analysis confirmed Britton’s story, detailing a direct lineage between her child, Elizabeth, and the Harding family.