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Carrie Fulton PhillipsCarrie Phillips, nee Fulton. Born 1873; died 1960 in Marion, Ohio. Mistress of Warren G. Harding, 29th President of the United States. Carrie Fulton Phillips holds the distinction of being the only woman in United States history who successfully blackmailed a major political party by virtue of her long term relationship with Senator Warren G. Harding of Marion, Ohio. Born near Bucyrus, Ohio in (Crawford County, Ohio) in 1873, young Carrie Fulton matured into a great beauty, one that epitomized the Gibson Girl beauty so popular at the time. Married to James Phillips, the couple removed to Marion where Phillips was co-proprietor of the Uhler-Phillips Company, one of Marions leading dry goods establishments. The couple quickly rose through the ranks of local society, in large part due to Carries charm and great beauty. Among Mrs. Phillips friends and confidants was Florence Harding, wife of the owner and publisher of the city's leading newspaper, The Marion Star. The Phillips had two children, a daughter Isabel and son James. James died while still a toddler and it was at this time of grief that Mrs. Phillips and Mr. Harding grew close, despite their respective marriages and friendships. The Phillips' and the Hardings' undertook tours of Europe together, all the while Carrie Phillips and Harding carryed on their intimate relationship. Once the affair revealed itself, Florence Harding was furious and felt betrayed; this was not the first time that her husband had entered into an affair with a woman that she considered a friend. Phillips, too, was displeased with his wifes conduct. To separate the two and to allow time for the marriages to be reconciled, Phillips took his family and returned to Europe, leaving the Hardings to tough it out in Marion. While in Germany, Carrie Phillips became immersed in German culture and German nationality issues. Mrs. Phillips refused to return to the United States at the tours end, and insisted she and their daughter stay behind; James Phillips no other option then to return to America alone. While in Europe, Harding was elected to the United States Senate. As Europe moved closer to the brink of war, Carrie Phillips begrudgingly returned to the states, however her passions for Germany were very well-known. At every opportunity, Phillips pled Germanys case. At this same time, the affair between Carrie Phillips and Warren G. Harding reignited, despite Phillips threats that if Harding voted to go to war against Germany, she would expose the affair. Harding voted for the war declaration; however Mrs. Phillips remained silent on the affair. In the summer of 1920, immediately following acceptance of the Republican nomination, Harding disclosed to the party bosses about his affair with Mrs. Phillips, and also disclosed that Mrs. Phillips was in the possession of hundreds of love letters written to her by Harding, many of which were written on Senate stationary. Afraid of a scandal involving both an affair as well as Mrs. Phillips government files for supporting Germany in the recent war, the party bosses impressed upon Mr. and Mrs. Phillips the importance that their travel abroad could keep the matter quiet. Carrie refused, and immediately dictated the terms under which she would consider the party wishes. In return for Mrs. Phillips silence on the matter, the Republican Party would pay not only for an extended tour of the Asian nations and Pacific Islands, but they would also pay an annual stipend to Mrs. Phillips in return for her silence on the matter for the remainder of her life. Another Marion native, Nan Britton also claimed an affair with Harding, however her assertions have never been established as factual. Also the paternity of the daughter that she said was conceived with Harding, that of Elizabeth Ann Christian (now Blaesing), was never established and accepted by a court of law. After the death of Mrs. Harding in 1924, Carrie Phillips returned to Germany under the guise of finding a suitable husband for their daughter. James Phillips by this time was exhibiting signs of heavy drinking, remained Marion, Ohio alone. Following the crash of 1929, Phillips lost control of his holdings and forced to rely upon the income received of his wife. Stripped of his dignity James Phillips near the end of his life he was known to wander the streets of downtown Marion panhandling money for drink - he succumbed to alcoholism. He died in back room walk up at the Marion Hotel, in Marion, Ohio in 1939, shortly after his estranged wifes return from Europe. As in the time of World War I, Carrie Phillips again became a very vocal supporter of Nazi regime in Germany. And again, the Federal Government began tracking her activities, including meetings with other, if not less enthusiastic supporters of Germany including Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh. In her later years, Carrie Phillips was known as a bit of an eccentric. Her home in Marion was overrun with German shepherds, and she was known to walk the dogs while wearing her large mink coats, and little on underneath. In the late 1950s, before she was placed under a guardianship for her own protection, Phillips handed over her cache of love letters written by Harding to Francis Russell, an author working on another biography of Harding on the condition that they remain a secret until her death. Following Phillips death in 1960, the love letters became the centerpiece of a court battle that pitted Carries daughter, Isabel Phillips Mathee, against nephews of Warren G. Harding, and Mathee and the Hardings against Russell and the Ohio Historical Society. In a subsequent legal action Isabel Mathee joined the Harding's and received a temporary injection that prevented Russell's inclusion of the material in his book, The Shadow of Blooming Grove. Ultimately, the court ruled that the letters would be sealed until 2023, the 100th anniversary of Hardings death, at which time their contents would be made public. Carrie Fulton Phillips was buried in Marion Cemetery, Marion Ohio next to her husband and their infant son. The Phillips daughter Isabel and her husband Wilhelm Heinrich Mathee are also buried in the family plot. There are no known living heirs.
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