author
Nan Britton
1896–1991
Best known for writing the sensational 1927 memoir The President's Daughter, this American author became part of one of the most talked-about political scandals of the 20th century. Her story, dismissed by many in her lifetime, was dramatically reconsidered decades later when DNA evidence supported her central claim.
1 Audiobook
The president's daughter
by Nan Britton
About the author
Born in Ohio in 1896, Nan Britton grew up in Marion, the same town closely associated with Warren G. Harding. She later became nationally known for saying that Harding had fathered her daughter, Elizabeth Ann, and for refusing to stay silent about their relationship at a time when women who spoke publicly about powerful men were often mocked or shunned.
In 1927 she published The President's Daughter, a memoir that caused a major stir and is often described as an early American political tell-all. The book mixed personal confession, scandal, and a determined defense of her child, which made Britton a controversial figure but also secured her place in American cultural and political history.
Britton died in 1991. Long after her death, DNA testing reported in 2015 helped confirm that Elizabeth Ann Britton was indeed a descendant of Warren G. Harding, giving new weight to the story Nan Britton had insisted on for decades.