Edwards admits child from affair

“I am Quinn’s father,’’ Edwards said in a statement released to the media, confirming what his wife, Elizabeth, his children, close friends, former staff members, and the general public already knew or suspected.

“I have been able to spend time with her during the past year and trust that future efforts to show her the love and affection she deserves can be done privately and in peace,’’ he continued. “It was wrong for me ever to deny she was my daughter and hopefully one day, when she understands, she will forgive me.’’

His daughter, Frances Quinn Hunter, will turn 2 in February.

The statement capped a lengthy period of denials and disclosures from Edwards about his relationship with the videographer, Rielle Hunter, who was hired to produce biographical Internet videos for his 2008 presidential campaign.

It also came on the eve of the publication of a tell-all book by Andrew Young, the former campaign aide who originally claimed he was the father of Quinn, who bears a resemblance to Edwards.

Another book, “Game Change,’’ by the journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, recently painted an unflattering portrait of Edwards and of his wife, with many details provided by sources, almost all of them unnamed, who the authors said were once loyal aides to the Edwards campaign.

Edwards’s admission was accompanied by a television interview given by a longtime confidante and adviser Harrison Hickman. Speaking on the “Today’’ show on NBC, Hickman said that Edwards wanted “to begin to put this behind, not just him, but everybody else who’s been affected by this.’’

At the same time, Edwards seemed to be grasping for some very public image rehabilitation. Yesterday, he arrived in Haiti with 30 doctors, a load of supplies, and the intention of helping in the relief effort, a spokeswoman, Joyce Fitzpatrick, said.

In the past year, Edwards has visited El Salvador three times with the Fuller Center for Housing, a group that builds houses for the poor, said the center’s president, David Snell.

A former trial lawyer, Edwards, 56, was a senator from North Carolina and the vice presidential nominee in 2004, and appeared to be a promising fresh face in the Democratic Party. In his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, he focused on rural, working-class voters who did not connect with Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama. But after failing to win the first several primary contests, he dropped out on Jan. 30, 2008.

Since late 2007, Edwards had been trailed by accusations that he had an extramarital affair with Hunter. He initially denied the veracity of a series of articles in the National Enquirer, calling them “tabloid trash.’’

In August 2008, however, Edwards admitted that he had had a sexual relationship with Hunter in 2006, but insisted he was not the father of her child. “I know it’s not possible,’’ he said at the time.

His admission made it clear that many parts of his account were false. Frances Quinn was born in February 2008, almost a year after Elizabeth Edwards announced that she had had a recurrence of breast cancer and that the disease was no longer curable.

Fitzpatrick, explained the timing of her boss’ announcement by saying: “Senator Edwards is very concerned about Elizabeth, how she felt about this subject, and he was concerned about her health. The second concern, of course, was the children. The third concern was that there was a child support agreement in place.’’

Hunter and Edwards signed that agreement on Wednesday, Fitzpatrick said. She would not disclose the financial terms but said it gives Hunter primary custody and Edwards “liberal’’ visitation rights. “He intends to be fully involved in her life and for her to know her brother and sisters,’’ she said.

Several former campaign aides said they were far from surprised by the revelation of paternity.

John C. Moylan, a longtime friend and campaign adviser who said he speaks with Edwards occasionally, said he wished Edwards had stated sooner that he was Quinn’s father. “If we revise history, we could change a lot of things,’’ Moylan said. “But I think the path to redemption can’t start until you’ve acknowledged everything that happened, and I think he’s done that. I wish that had occurred a long time ago.’’

He added, “I think the repair of his public image is going to be a long, hard road, if that is possible at all.’’

Fitzpatrick said that she could not confirm news reports that the Edwardses were separated. John Edwards, she said, planned to continue to live in Chapel Hill and focus on “his wife, his family, and his work on poverty.

As for a future political career, she said, “That’s not part of his plans at all.’’