Scott Allison Willits (March 26, 1895 – October 1973) was an American violin teacher with the

American Conservatory of Music The American Conservatory of Music (ACM) was a major American school of music founded in Chicago in 1886 by John James Hattstaedt (1851–1931). The conservatory was incorporated as an Illinois non-profit corporation. It developed the Conservat ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, who coached many members of the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...

from 1940 through 1973. He was a student and "first American Representative" of

Otakar Ševčík Otakar Ševčík (22 March 185218 January 1934) was a Czechs, Czech violinist and influential teacher. He was known as a Solo (music), soloist and an Musical ensemble, ensemble player, including his occasional performances with Eugène Ysaÿe. ...

who created a leading

pedagogical Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

method for teaching violin that is still widely used today. On November 21, 1917, Willits married Elizabeth Blanch Britton who was the sister of

Nan Britton Nanna Popham Britton (November 9, 1896 – March 21, 1991) was an American woman who gained notoriety as a mistress of Warren G. Harding, the 29th President of the United States. In 1927, Britton revealed that her daughter, Elizabeth Ann Blaesing ...

and aunt of

Elizabeth Ann Blaesing Elizabeth Ann Britton Harding Blaesing ( Britton Harding; October 22, 1919 – November 17, 2005) was the only child of Warren G. Harding, the 29th president of the United States, and his mistress, Nan Britton. Harding and Britton, who both lived ...

, the

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

daughter of

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was one of the most ...

, the 29th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. In 1921, Willits and his wife adopted Blaesing. At that time the Willitses were living in Athens, Ohio, and were both teaching music at Ohio University. They raised Elizabeth Ann until her mother once again took custody five years later. The Willits' role as adoptive parents was documented in ''The Strange Deaths of President Harding''. Willits, in recounting how he became guardian for Britton, told a student that he was summoned to the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

by President Harding. When asked how he reacted to the request Willits replied, "When the President of the United States asks for your help, you don't say 'no'." In 2015, the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reported that

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by AncestryDNA, a division of

Ancestry.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

, confirmed Harding was Blaesing's biological father.

References

Sources

* ''DNA Is Said to Solve a Mystery of Warren Harding’s Love Life.'' Baker, Peter. The Washington Post, Washington, DC, August 15, 2015. * ''Troubled Presidency's Scandalous Footnote.'' Rasmussen, Cecilia. The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA, July 18, 2004 * Associated Press Wire Service. ''Secret Kept for Twenty Years: California Woman Says She is Daughter of Harding''. Tri-City Herald, Pasco, Washington, p. 15, July 17, 1964. * Dean, John; Schlesinger, Arthur M. ''Warren Harding'' (The American President Series), Times Books, 2004. * Ferrell, Robert H. ''The Strange Deaths of President Harding''. University of Missouri Press, 1996. * Mee, Charles Jr. ''The Ohio Gang: The World of Warren G. Harding: A Historical Entertainment'' M. Evans & Company, 1983. * ''Presidential mystery stays unsolved.'' Sloat, Bill. The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, May 31, 2006. * Peter Marsh Biography. ''USC Thornton School of Music: Faculty Profiles'' http://www.usc.edu/schools/music/private/faculty/pmarsh.php * Private Interview with former students, Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Covey, 1970 {{DEFAULTSORT:Willetts, Scott 1895 births 1973 deaths Warren G. Harding Musicians from Chicago 20th-century American violinists 20th-century American male musicians American male violinists Violin educators Ohio University faculty American Conservatory of Music faculty