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Elizabeth Wharton Drexel

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The Right Honourable
The Lady Decies
A 1905 portrait of Drexel by Giovanni Boldini
Born
Elizabeth Wharton "Bessie" Drexel

(1868-04-22)April 22, 1868
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJune 13, 1944(1944-06-13) (aged 76)
Manhattan, New York
Burial placeDahlgren Chapel, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1889; died 1899)​
​
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(m. 1901; died 1929)​
​
​
(m. 1936; died 1944)​
Children
  • Joseph Drexel Dahlgren
  • John Vinton Dahlgren II
Parents
Relatives

Elizabeth de la Poer Beresford, Baroness Decies (April 22, 1868 – June 13, 1944) was an American author, philanthropist, and Manhattan socialite.[1]

Early life

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Drexel and Henry Symes Lehr at their wedding in 1901
Drexel's first husband, John V. Dahlgren, c. 1897
Drexel in 1899

Drexel was born on April 22, 1868, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Lucy Wharton and Joseph William Drexel.[2] Her paternal grandfather was the son of Francis Martin Drexel, the immigrant ancestor of Anthony Joseph Drexel who founded present-day J.P. Morgan & Co. and was influential in developing the private banking system of the United States.

Career

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Drexel was an author who published two books, King Lehr and the Gilded Age (1935) and Turn of the World (1937). Her first novel, published after the death of her second husband, tells the story of her unhappy marriage to Henry Lehr, which was referred to as a "tragic farce" of a 28-year marriage. Time magazine described it as:

A bitter, disillusioned book, 'King Lehr' is memorable for the lurid light it throws on U. S. Society of the Gilded Age, may confidently be opened as one of the most startling and scandalously intimate records of life among the wealthy yet written by one of them.[3]

Her second book, and first as Lady Decies, Turn of the World, was also a semi-autobiographical history of American high society during the Gay Nineties up through World War I. Following the book's publication, The Pittsburgh Press wrote,

The magnificent spectacle that went on behind the scenes in pre-war days of society's Gilded Age at Saratoga, Newport, New York and Paris is detailed by an insider, Elizabeth, Lady Decies, who was Miss Elizabeth Wharton Drexel interesting, amusing and sometimes revolting, as with evident nostalgia she tells of extravagant parties and fortunes spent for clothes and jewels.[4]

In Paris, she purchased and renovated the Hôtel de Cavoye at 52 Rue des Saints-Pères in the 7th Arrondissement. The hôtel particulier was built as the Paris residence of Louis d'Oger, Marquis de Cavoye, a Favourite of King Louis XIV who served as Grand Marshall of the Royal Household at Versailles.[5] At her home, she hosted receptions, including for Prince Christian of Hesse and his American wife, the former Elizabeth Reid Rogers.[6]

Personal life

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First marriage

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On June 29, 1889,[7] Elizabeth married John Vinton Dahlgren (1869–1899), a graduate from Georgetown University and the son of Admiral John A. Dahlgren (1809–1870) at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. Together, they had two sons:[8]

  • Joseph Drexel Dahlgren (1890–1891), who died as an infant
  • John Vinton Dahlgren Jr. (1892–1964), who married Helen Broderick in 1946,[9][10] was a graduate of Harvard and Georgetown.[11]

During this marriage, she made generous donations to Roman Catholic charities and to Georgetown University, including funds for the construction of Dahlgren Chapel, which was named for her first son.[12] Georgetown University asked for her portrait, which was painted in 1899 by the Swiss-born American artist Adolfo Müller-Ury (1862–1947).

Dahlgren died August 11, 1899, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he had gone in hopes of recovering from tuberculosis.[13]

Second marriage

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In June 1901, Elizabeth married Henry Symes Lehr (1869–1929), aka Harry Lehr.[1][3] The marriage was never consummated.[14] According to her, on her wedding night, her husband told her that he loathed her and could not stand the thought of touching her ever, although he wanted her to understand she was to be cordial to him in public and he might in turn occasionally call her "darling". He had, he admitted, married her for her money because poverty terrified him.[15]

In 1915, the Lehrs were in Paris, and Elizabeth worked for the Red Cross. They remained in Paris after World War I, where they bought in 1923 the Hôtel de Cavoye at 52, rue des Saints-Pères in the 7th arrondissement. Harry Lehr died on January 3, 1929, of a brain malady in Baltimore.[16]

Third marriage

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On May 25, 1936,[17] she married The Rt Hon. The 5th Baron Decies (1866–1944), a widower and Anglo-Irish peer who had previously been married to Helen Vivien Gould (1893–1931).[18][19][20] Upon this marriage, she became The Rt Hon. Baroness Decies.

Lord Decies filed suit for divorce in 1942, which Lady Decies contested.[21]

Lord Decies died on January 31, 1944, at his Ascot home.[22]

Death

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Elizabeth, Lady Decies, died at the Hotel Shelton in Manhattan on June 13, 1944. She was buried in the crypt below Dahlgren Chapel at Georgetown University, which she and her first husband had built as a memorial to their first son, Joseph Drexel Dahlgren, who died in infancy.[1]

Published works

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  • "King Lehr" and the Gilded Age (1935) ISBN 1-4047-8242-7[3]
  • Turn of the World (1937) ISBN 978-1-4290-9080-3

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Lady Decies, Widow of Irish Peer, Dies; Former Elizabeth Drexel of Philadelphia Was Once the Wife of Harry Lehr". The New York Times. June 14, 1944. Retrieved July 21, 2007.(subscription required)
  2. ^ "Mrs. J.W. Drexel Dead. Former Social Leader of Philadelphia and Mother of Mrs. Harry Lehr". The New York Times. January 26, 1912.
  3. ^ a b c "Record of the Rich". Time. August 5, 1935. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
  4. ^ "The Former Mrs. Lehr". The New York Times. December 12, 1937. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  5. ^ Beresford, Elizabeth (2005), King Lehr, Applewood Books, pp. 298–299, ISBN 978-1-55709-963-1
  6. ^ Times, May Birkhead wireless To the New York (May 1, 1932). "PARIS SEASON GAYER THAN WAS EXPECTED; Visitors From England Begin Crossing Channel for Week-End Trips. BIG HOUSES ARE OPENING W.K. Vanderbilt Jr. and Mrs. Henry S. Lehr Are Among Amer- icans Giving Entertainments". The New York Times. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  7. ^ "Mr. Dahlgren and His Bride.; Beginning of Their Honeymoon in a Historic Maryland House". The New York Times. July 7, 1889. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  8. ^ "John Vinton Dahlgren Dead.; Son of the Admiral Passes Away at Colorado Springs". The New York Times. August 12, 1899. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  9. ^ "John V. Dahlgren, Kin of Drexels, to Marry". The New York Times. June 3, 1946. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  10. ^ "J. V. Dahlgren Loses Suit.; Falls to Compel Uncle to Account for $70,000". The New York Times. October 17, 1914. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  11. ^ "Nuptials Are Held for Helen Broderick". The New York Times. July 15, 1946. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  12. ^ "Built by Mrs. Dahlgren.; Dedication of the Chapel of the Sacred Heart at Washington". The New York Times. April 17, 1893. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  13. ^ "John Vinton Dalhgren Dead", The New York Times, August 12, 1899.
  14. ^ Vanderbilt II, Arthur T. Fortune's Children. Wm. Morrow and Co., 1989: 235-7. ISBN 0-688-07279-8
  15. ^ Wayne Craven (2009) Gilded Mansions, Norton, New York
  16. ^ "Harry S. Lehr Dies. Once Social Leader. Succumbs To A Brain Malady In Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore. Late Mrs. Astor's Adviser Noted For Daring And Originality Of His Parties. Married Mrs. J. V. Dahlgren, Heiress. Quickly Got Into Limelight. Furor Over "Monkey Dinner" Story. An Excellent Musician". The New York Times. January 4, 1929. Baltimore, January 3, 1929. Harry Symes Lehr, for many years prominent in society of New York, Newport, Baltimore and Paris, died today of a brain disorder at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he had been a patient for several weeks.
  17. ^ "Decies to Marry Mrs. Harry Lehr; Widow of New York Leader of Society to Become Bride of Irish Peer on May 23. Announcement in Paris. Bride-Elect Member of Drexel Family. Wrote Book, 'King Lehr and Gilded Age.'". The New York Times. May 12, 1936. Mrs. Henry Symes Lehr, widow of Harry Lehr, society leader in New York early in the century, will be married here on May 23 to John Graham Beresford, Lord Decies, Irish peer, according to an announcement made today.
  18. ^ "Lady Decies Dies at 38 in London. Former Helen Vivien Gould Was Principal in Brilliant International Wedding of 1911. Was Noted As Hostess. Her Entertaining Was a Feature of British Capital. Husband Is Distinguished Irish Peer". The New York Times. February 3, 1931. Retrieved November 26, 2007. Lady Decies, the former Helen Vivien Gould, daughter of the late George Jay Gould of New York, died in London this morning. She had been critically ill here for several days.
  19. ^ "Died". Time. February 16, 1931. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2009. Lady Helen Vivien Decies, 39, daughter and heiress of the late George Jay Gould, wife of John Graham Hope de la Poer Beresford, 5th Baron Decies, Boer War veteran; of jaundice and heart attack; in London.
  20. ^ "People". Time. July 27, 1942. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2007. Heavily engraved invitations sent out by Lady Decies (formerly Elizabeth Drexel of Philadelphia) sent the British Library of Information bustling about over a point of etiquette. Said the invitation: 'Lady Elizabeth Decies (the Right Honorable Elizabeth Beresford, Baroness Decies) requests the pleasure of your company,' etc. But Lady Decies, pointed out the B.L.I., is merely wife of a privy councillor of the lowest rank of the peerage (John Graham Hope de la Poer Beresford, Baron Decies). is therefore a 'Lady,' but not a 'Right Honorable.' Nor can she call herself 'Lady Elizabeth,' nor "Elizabeth, Lady,' titles proper only to the daughter of an earl or better or the widowed mother of a baron or married baronet, or the widow of a knight.
  21. ^ "LORD DECIES ASKS DIVORCE; Irish Peer's Suit Contested by Former Mrs. Elizabeth Lehr". The New York Times. April 12, 1942. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  22. ^ "LORD DECIES DIES IN ENGLAND AT 77; Soldier, Sportsman, Friend of Taxpayer--Married Gould Heiress Here in 1911". The New York Times. February 2, 1944. Retrieved January 29, 2022.

Further reading

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Media related to Elizabeth Wharton Drexel at Wikimedia Commons

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