Did Warren G. Harding have a Creole or mulatto ancestor?

Question

Is this documented? If so, would Obama (who had a white mother and a Kenyan father) lose out on being the first African-American president?

Answer 1

This is the first I've of this so thank you for the question.  Interesting.

Attached is a NEW YORK TIMES article about the subject that may shed some light on the subject.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/magazi...

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Answer 2

Why does this really matter???

Does being the first anything really make a difference in how things are done.  If anything if Obama wins he'll be under the microscope.

A racist opinion on this would be if they treated Clinton so poorly for cheating on his wife how will they treat any of Obama's mistakes; extreme or frivolous??

The first of anything always has to work hard to shake any prejudice that my have kept prior attempts down.

Answer 3

Many sources say he had Afro-Caribbean ancestors, on the Harding side. I don't know whether it has been proven. Those things were always covered up.

Answer 4

It's an urban legend that rose by a dubious "historian" trying to discredit Harding during his election. There isn't a shred of documentation to it and only anecdotal stories by people claiming to be distant relatives of Harding's who claim they're shunned because of their color. Before you believe that, visit the Genealogy board and ask how many people have been told fairy tales about their lineage through the years only to find out how wrong it all was? Do you know how many Indian princess and Italian duchess-who-ran-away-with-the-stableboy stories are floating out there? When you consider the source of the stories about Harding, it's even more dubious.

Put in context, Bill Clinton wants to believe he was the first Black president and Harding denied ever having black ancestry. As a result, both can think what they want, but Obama has the documentation to back up his claims.

Answer 5

If we're going to call Warren G. Harding African-American just for having a mulatto or creole ancestor then that is sheer racism.  Anybody that exhibits this type of outdated, white supremacist ideology should get a really bad cold.  (Yeah, I'm not a meany)

How about we just all call ourselves African-American, because I'm pretty sure there is a "black" ancestor in many "white" families today, including mine.