Harding, Florence K. (1860–1924)

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Harding, Florence K. (1860–1924)

American first lady (1921–1923), wife of the 29th U.S. president Warren G. Harding, whose effort to give the White House back to the people was diminished by her husband's scandal-plagued administration. Born Florence Kling on August 15, 1860, in Marion, Ohio; died on November 21, 1924, in Marion; third child and first daughter of Amos Kling (a banker) and Louisa (Bouton) Kling; married Henry A. "Pete" De Wolfe, in March 1880 (divorced 1886); married Warren Gamaliel Harding (U.S. president), on July 8, 1891, in Marion, Ohio; children: (first marriage) Marshall Eugene De Wolfe (1880–1914).

Florence Harding was born Florence Kling on August 15, 1860, in Marion, Ohio, the third

child and first daughter of Louisa Bouton Kling and banker Amos Kling, the "wealthiest man in Marion." Had Florence been the boy her father wanted, she might have grown up to be president of the United States. She also might have done a better job than her husband, who distinguished himself as one of the worst presidents in the country's history.

Florence was educated locally and spent a short time studying piano at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Little is known about her mother who by some accounts died when Florence was at the conservatory, forcing her daughter to abandon her studies and come home to keep house for her father. A willful, determined man, Amos ruled his children with an iron hand. Florence began to rebel at an early age by staying out late and roller skating with boys from across the tracks. It was not unusual for her to return home after the 11 pm curfew to find herself locked out of the house.

Described as tall and gawky, and as headstrong as her father, Florence was not very popular. When she was 20, she eloped with the boy next door, Henry "Pete" De Wolfe, an alcoholic and probably the only fellow in Marion who was not intimidated by her father. The couple moved to Galion, Ohio, where a son, Marshall Eugene, was born six months after the marriage. De Wolfe deserted Florence in 1884, and they were divorced two years later. Back home in Marion, Amos, who had never accepted the marriage, refused to help Florence unless she came home and resumed using her maiden name. Florence chose to live independently, supporting herself by giving piano lessons. After Amos adopted her son, Florence had little contact with the boy as he grew up.

Amos Kling was also enraged when Florence took up with Warren Harding, the struggling editor of the Marion Star and a renowned ladies' man. Amos denounced Warren as an "irresponsible scalawag" and claimed there was "Negro blood" in his family, a rumor that would never die. Despite her father, Florence set aside any of her own doubts about the motives of her new paramour and pursued him relentlessly for two years. When the couple finally married, not only did Kling shun the ceremony, he also disowned his daughter. It was another seven years before he spoke to her again.

"Duchess," as Warren called his wife, was the driving force behind her husband from the beginning. Filling in at the Star one day when Warren was ill, she stayed on for 14 years. With a keen business sense picked up from her father, she handled the bookkeeping and advertising and organized home delivery to boost circulation. Meanwhile, Warren was the perfect front. Using his considerable charm and gift of gab, he easily won trust and gained enormous popularity. A transition into Ohio politics seemed natural. He became a state senator, then lieutenant governor, and won election to the U.S. Senate in 1915. Florence was closely involved in all of Warren's campaigns, and her pride in, and ambition for, her husband grew with each success. So, evidently, did her mistrust of others. Characterized by some as "jealous, suspicious, and vindictive," she kept a list of her enemies in a little red book.

When Warren was mentioned as a possible candidate in the 1920 presidential campaign, Florence energetically backed his nomination and election bid, but she also had serious misgivings. One of her greatest fears was exposure of her husband's extramarital affairs; one with her friend, Marion housewife Carrie Phillips , and another with Nan Britton , a younger woman who developed a crush on Warren while she was still in high school. (After Warren's death, Britton published The President's Daughter, detailing their affair and maintaining that her child was his.) Florence had once written in her diary: "To me, love seems to have been a thing of tragedy."

She also agonized over her age—now 60—and her own poor health. In 1905, she had one kidney removed, and her remaining kidney did not function well. She was prone to infections, which caused her frequent bouts of pain and fatigue. Finally, there is evidence that Florence, who often consulted with astrologers, had received a dire prediction from her favorite medium, "Madam Marcia," who warned that if Warren became president he would die in office, and Florence would die soon after.

The war-weary country responded to Warren's "back to normalcy" campaign and elected him in a landslide victory. The White House and grounds, closed during Woodrow Wilson's administration, were opened to the public again, and Florence exhausted herself with a lively social calendar. Garden parties for veterans and group tours were popular events. The "plain folks" image of the campaign, however, was double-edged. With Prohibition the law of the land, the Hardings held dry receptions downstairs in the mansion, while upstairs liquor flowed freely and poker was the game of choice. Florence even tended bar for her husband and his Ohio cronies, who were ever present.

Britton, Nan (b. 1896)

American paramour of Warren Harding who wrote the infamous tell-all The President's Daughter. Born on November 9, 1896, in Claridon, Ohio; children: Elizabeth Ann Britton .

The long-time mistress of President Warren G. Harding, Nan Britton was only 14 when she saw his photograph in a newspaper and became hopelessly infatuated. At the time, the handsome 45-year-old was running for governor of Ohio, an office he was destined not to win. Britton's obsession continued throughout her high school years, when her English teacher ironically turned out to be Warren's sister Daisy Harding . As a teenager, Britton also visited Harding when he was editor-publisher of the Marion [Ohio] Star.

By 1915, Harding had been elected to the U.S. Senate, and Britton, upon completion of a secretarial course in New York City, was looking for work. She wrote to him in 1917, asking if he could assist her in finding a job, and Warren responded with a speedy trip to New York to see her, taking a room at the Manhattan Hotel. There, the couple quickly moved from matters of employment to matters of the heart. From that time until Harding's sudden death in 1923, the two carried on a clandestine love affair, supposedly with the full knowledge of Warren's wife Florence who kept quiet for political reasons. (Florence Harding had already dealt with her husband's philandering, when he had an affair with Carrie Phillips , whose husband owned a department store in Marion, Ohio.) In 1919, Britton gave birth to a girl named Elizabeth Ann, whom Harding took responsibility for and supported for a time, although he encouraged Britton to have the child adopted by her married sister in Chicago.

During Harding's presidential campaign in 1920, and throughout his years in the White House, the trysts and correspondence continued, aided by the Secret Service who sent notes and smuggled Britton in and out of the White House. Reputedly, many of the couple's meetings took place in an oversize coat closet next to the Oval Office.

Following Harding's sudden and mysterious death in August 1923, Britton, who was no longer receiving child support, was desperate for money. Failing in an attempt to secure $50,000 from the Harding estate following the death of Florence in 1924, Britton wrote The President's Daughter, a tell-all published in 1927, despite attempts from the Society for the Suppression of Vice to prevent its release. When the outspoken journalist H.L. Mencken reviewed the book in the Baltimore Sun, it flew off the shelves, making Britton a great deal of money and substantiating her claims in the eyes of the public.

She also was her husband's key advisor, frequently visited injured veterans at Walter Reed Hospital, was involved in many charities, and agitated for women's rights. But politically, Warren did not seem to grasp the serious demands of his position. Lacking intelligence, he relied heavily on the advice of friends and subordinates, who were at best unethical and at worst downright crooked. Scandals involving various appointees seemed to emerge daily. Although Florence put out what fires she could, the image of his administration began to tarnish. Warren, however, remained oblivious to the depth of his problems.

On the return leg of a transcontinental trip—a "Voyage of Understanding"—in the summer of 1923, Warren Harding fell ill and died in San Francisco. Mystery surrounded the tragedy, with hints by some that Florence may have been involved. Although the death was attributed to food poisoning, Florence refused to have an autopsy performed. (In another bizarre turn, Warren's personal physician died six months later.) Florence accompanied Warren's body cross country by train, and the public, still unaware of the far-reaching consequences of the administration's scandals, greeted the funeral procession in droves. While her husband's body lay in state in the Capitol, Florence made one final effort to protect his name by destroying every private paper she could find. She then returned to Marion, Ohio, where she died on November 21, 1924, 15 months after the president. She was buried in Marion Cemetery, at the Harding Memorial.