While it might be only loosely based on history,Boardwalk Empirehas never been afraid to address very real elements of the 1920s. One example in the first season sees Nucky Johnson (Steve Buscemi) play a role in the election of President Warren Harding by covering up his affair in exchange for a favor, even meeting with Nan Britton (Virginia Kull) and her baby. As crazy as it sounds,the scandal was real, and it’s not the only time Nucky engages with corrupt national figures. His later dealings with crooks like Harry Daugherty (Christopher McDonald) remind us of the darker side to thereal glamour behind the Roaring Twenties, which existed both locally and nationally.
‘Boardwalk Empire’ Portrays the Scandalous Presidency of Warren G. Harding
Unlike other crime dramas,Boardwalk Empireis a piece of historical fiction, capturing the unique atmosphere of the 1920s with its characters. That said,many of them were real peoplewith a profound influence on the history of the mob, and multiple events of the time are referenced in the series. One of the most important events for Nucky is the Republican National Convention in 1920, where he attempts to flex his political muscles by helping select a presidential candidate for the party bosses. Although he plays little role in elevating Warren G. Harding as the nominee,Nucky does decide who becomes Vice President by blocking a Senator from his own state, whom he perceives as a rival. In exchange for bumping off one of his enemies, Nucky agrees to provide hush money to the secret lover of Warren G. Harding when he finally becomes the nominee.
Of course, Nucky himself is a fictional character, but the dynamics at play are entirely real. No one at the time thought of Warren Harding as presidential material, and the Senator wasfar from the first choicewhen the delegates assembled. Yet, despite his lack of ambition or qualifications for the job, Harding turned out to be the only one everyone could agree on, so the party bosses selected him anyway in a shady backroom deal. These were very common in an era where presidential candidates were rarely nominated by the people,but Harding himself proved popular enough with the public to get electedat just the right time. Today, though, the underdog status is not exactly what Harding is remembered for, at least among those who know his name to begin with.
Yes, Warren G. Harding Did Have a Love Child as President
As any history buff or fan ofHamiltoncould tell you, sex scandals have been a part of American politics since the start of the nation itself, but few of them were quite as shocking or brazen as that of Warren Harding. The exact time they met has never been officially determined, but Nan Britton claims to have first encountered Harding when he was still a Senator from Ohio, and they both originatedfrom the same hometown, where he was well known. According to Nan herself, she formed an infatuation with Harding and they began their affair in 1914, when she had just graduated from high school. Affairs were nothing new for Harding, who had alsobeen seeing another womanaround this time, but it became a major problem when Nan gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth Ann, in 1919. Unlike his other mistresses,Harding continued seeing Nan even while he occupied the Oval Office, but he never acknowledged the existence of Elizabeth.
Harding died of a heart attack halfway through his first term in 1923, so we’ll never know how the scandal would have affected his political career. Four years later,the affair became public when Nan wrote about it in the first known “Kiss and Tell” book, titledThe President’s Daughter. Due to its graphic details, the book was condemned and disbelieved for several decades and Nan faded into obscurity, living into her nineties. It was only in 2015, ten years after Elizabeth died at the age of 84,that DNA testing provedshe was indeed the daughter of Warren G. Harding.
The Best ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Episodes of Every Season
The historical crime series is one of HBO’s best.
‘Boardwalk Empire' Shows Both Sides of the Roaring Twenties
The 1920s were a unique decade in American history, usually defined by excess wealth. However, that same kind of atmosphere also had a dark side. AlthoughBoardwalk Empiremakes no secret of the darkness and crime at the heart of Atlantic City, the Season 1 episode, “Hold Me in Paradise,” also gives a glimpse of just how deep that corruption goes. From then on,the line between government and crime slowly becomes blurred, and it’s not helped by the politicians Nucky surrounds himself with. Figures like Harding’s campaign manager and future Cabinet member Harry Daugherty arewell-known today for their corruption, and he was forced to resign in disgrace. The Teapot Dome scandal of which he was a part began to unfold shortly before Harding’s death, and it was another black mark that stained his presidency afterward.
Although these real events linger in the background, Harding himself is never seen in the series. Nor does he need to be, asBoardwalk Empireremains more focused on capturingthe aura of the twenties, and rarely veers away from the hot spots of New York, Chicago, and Atlantic City. All of them experienced incredible prosperity during the era, and groups like African Americans, Italians, and the Irish got a taste of genuine economic success for the first time. Yet,despite being historical fiction, the show also reminds us time and time again of what that very decadence wrought, and it became nearly as inescapable as the money that spawned it. As Nucky Thompson himself knew better than anyone else, politics and crime become one and the same when corruption is a commodity.
Boardwalk Empire
