Elizabeth Ann Blaesing | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Elizabeth Ann Britton aged 12 in 1931 | |
| Born | Elizabeth Ann Britton Harding (1919-10-22)October 22, 1919 Asbury Park, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | November 17, 2005(2005-11-17) (aged 86) Welches, Oregon, U.S. |
| Education | Roger C. Sullivan High School |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents | |
| Relatives | Scott Willits (uncle) |
Elizabeth Ann Britton Blaesing (néeHarding; October 22, 1919 – November 17, 2005) was the only child ofWarren G. Harding, the 29thpresident of the United States, and his mistress,Nan Britton. Harding and Britton, who both lived inMarion, Ohio, began their affair when he was aU.S. senator and it continued until his sudden death during his presidency in 1923.[1][2]
Elizabeth Ann, after her birth inAsbury Park, New Jersey, was given to her aunt and uncle, Elizabeth andScott Willits ofAthens, Ohio, to be raised. The Willitses were both music professors at Ohio University.[3] She lived in Athens for several years until she was taken back by Britton once Britton's book was published. Blaesing graduated fromSullivan High School in theRogers Park neighborhood ofChicago,Illinois. Later she married Henry Edward Blaesing on September 18, 1938, inChicago. At the time Britton began a series of newspaper interviews discussing "Ann Harding" and her marriage, but refusing to provide the name of her husband.[citation needed]
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Ann, her husband, and her sons lived on Alderdale Street inDowney, California. In the mid-1960s the family moved toGlendale, California. In 1964, the matter of Harding's alleged paternity of Blaesing was again brought to the forefront when a series of lawsuits in Ohio involving the ownership of love letters written by Harding to his late mistressCarrie Phillips were taking place. In anAssociated Press wire service article distributed in mid-July of that year, Blaesing confirmed publicly that in 1934 her mother had told her thatWarren G. Harding was her biological father. "It's not something that you bring up in casual conversation," she stated in the story.[4]
When contacted by Harding scholarRobert Hugh Ferrell, author ofThe Strange Deaths of President Harding and later byJohn Dean, author ofWarren Harding, The American President Series, Blaesing refused interviews on the topic.[citation needed]
Blaesing died in Oregon on November 17, 2005. The family did not make a public announcement, but her son, Thomas Blaesing, confirmed her death during an interview, according to the May 31, 2006, edition of theCleveland Plain Dealer. According to Blaesing's son, his mother was not interested in seekingDNA evidence confirming paternity. Some scholars argued that the Blaesings had a "moral and civic responsibility" to provide their DNA for comparative purposes.[5]
Nan Britton made her claim public with the publication of her book,The President's Daughter.[6] Britton could never produce primary source evidence to prove that Harding acknowledged his paternity of the child.
Elizabeth Ann used the Harding surname as a child and young adult. Her birth certificate, however, due to a doctor's error, was written in the name of Emma Eloise Britton. Her mother also used Christian as her child's surname at one point.[citation needed]
In 2015, 96 years after Blaesing's birth and 10 years after her death,genetic testing by AncestryDNA, a division ofAncestry.com, confirmed that President Harding was her biological father. Dr. Peter Harding, a grandnephew of President Harding, and James Blaesing, son of Elizabeth Ann Blaesing, submitted DNA samples, which confirmed that Peter and James aresecond cousins. This proved that Harding is the father and grandfather of Elizabeth and James, respectively.[7][1]
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