Nan Britton

Who was 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.

Born in Marion, Ohio, Britton developed an obsession with Harding, a friend of her father. As a girl, her bedroom walls were covered with images of Harding from local papers and magazines. While still less than 16 years old, she would also dawdle near his Marion Daily Star building in downtown Marion, Ohio hoping to bump into him on his walk home from work.

Her father, Dr. Britton, talked to Harding about his daughter's infatuation, and in turn, Harding spoke with the girl, assuring her that one day she would find the man of her dreams. At the time, Harding was involved in a very passionate affair with Carrie Fulton Phillips, wife of James Phillips, co-owner of Marion's Uhler-Phillips Company, a local department store. Following her graduation from Marion High School in 1914, Britton moved to New York City, where she hoped to start a career as a secretary.

Following Harding's death in 1923, Britton wrote what is considered to be the first kiss-and-tell book, The President's Daughter, published in 1928. In it, she claimed to have been his mistress before and during his presidency, and that Harding was the father of her daughter, Elizabeth Ann, who was later adopted by Britton's husband, Mr. Christian. One famous passage mentions their making love in a coat closet in the executive office of the White House.