Marshall Eugene DeWolfe

Who was Marshall Eugene DeWolfe?

Marshall Eugene DeWolfe was the only child of future First Lady Florence Kling and a man reputed to have been her first husband, Henry Athenton "Pete" DeWolfe. Born in Galion, Crawford County, Ohio, young DeWolfe was primarily raised by his mother; his father was a chronic alcoholic who was absent from the home for days at a time.

Those doing research on the Hardings, including John Dean and Robert Ferrell among others, have never been able to find concrete proof of Kling-DeWolfe marriage, leading some people to believe that the future First Lady and DeWolfe had established a common law marriage. However divorce papers on file in Marion County Ohio do indicate a divorce for Florence from Henry "Pete" DeWolfe, which suggests that a formal marriage did take place at some point. According to the Marion Star, they were married in Columbus on January 22, 1880.

Following the divorce of his parents, young Marshall was raised by his grandparents, Amos Hall Kling and Louisa "Louise" Mabel Kling, while his mother lived independently and earned an income as a piano teacher in Marion, Ohio. As part of the agreement with her father, Florence would not have a role in her own son’s upbringing.