Elizabeth Wharton Drexel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth, Baroness Decies
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Portrait of Drexel by Giovanni Boldini, 1905
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| Born |
Elizabeth Wharton "Bessie" Drexel
April 22, 1868 |
| Died | June 13, 1944 (aged 76) |
| Burial place | Dahlgren Chapel, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. |
| Spouse(s) |
John Vinton Dahlgren
(m. 1889; Henry Symes Lehr
(m. 1901; The 5th Baron Decies
(m. 1936; |
| Children | Joseph Drexel Dahlgren John Vinton Dahlgren II |
| Parent(s) | Joseph William Drexel Lucy Wharton |
Elizabeth de la Poer Beresford, also known as Baroness Decies, was an American author and a well-known person in Manhattan society. She was born on April 22, 1868, and passed away on June 13, 1944. She lived through a time of great change, from the "Gilded Age" in America to the World Wars.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Elizabeth Wharton "Bessie" Drexel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Lucy Wharton and Joseph William Drexel. Her father, Joseph, came from the famous Drexel banking family in the United States. His father, Francis Martin Drexel, was the one who started the family's banking business in America.
Elizabeth's Writing Career
Elizabeth was a talented writer who published two books. Her first book, "King Lehr" and the Gilded Age, came out in 1935. It was published after her second husband passed away. This book shared details about her difficult marriage to Henry Lehr. It was even called a "tragic farce" because of how unhappy their 28-year marriage was.
Time magazine described her first book as a "bitter, disillusioned book." It was seen as a very open and surprising look into the lives of wealthy American society during the "Gilded Age."
Her second book, Turn of the World, was published in 1937. By this time, she was known as Lady Decies. This book also told her own story and described American high society. It covered the period from the "Gay Nineties" up to the First World War. The Pittsburgh Press newspaper wrote that her book showed the "magnificent spectacle" of pre-war society. She wrote about extravagant parties and how much money was spent on clothes and jewels in places like Saratoga, Newport, New York, and Paris.
Her Personal Life and Marriages
First Marriage to John Vinton Dahlgren
On June 29, 1889, Elizabeth married John Vinton Dahlgren at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. John was a graduate of Georgetown University. His father was Admiral John Adolph Dahlgren. Elizabeth and John had two sons together:
- Joseph Drexel Dahlgren (1890-1891), who sadly passed away as a baby.
- John Vinton Dahlgren Jr. (1892–1964), who later married Helen Broderick in 1946. He also studied at Harvard and Georgetown.
During this marriage, Elizabeth gave a lot of money to Catholic charities and to Georgetown University. She helped fund the building of Dahlgren Chapel. This chapel was named after her first son, Joseph. A famous artist named Adolfo Müller-Ury painted her portrait in 1899 for Georgetown University. John Dahlgren passed away on August 11, 1899, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he had gone to try and recover from an illness.
Second Marriage to Henry Symes Lehr
In June 1901, Elizabeth married Henry Symes Lehr, also known as Harry Lehr. This marriage was known to be very unhappy. Harry Lehr had married Elizabeth mainly for her money, as he was very afraid of being poor.
In 1915, the Lehrs were in Paris, and Elizabeth worked for the Red Cross. They stayed in Paris after World War I. In 1923, they bought a grand house called the Hôtel de Cavoye in the 7th arrondissement. Harry Lehr passed away on January 3, 1929, in Baltimore due to a brain illness.
Third Marriage to Lord Decies
On May 25, 1936, Elizabeth married The Rt Hon. The 5th Baron Decies. He was a British nobleman who had been married before. After this marriage, Elizabeth became known as The Rt Hon. Elizabeth, Baroness Decies.
Lord Decies passed away on January 31, 1944, at his home in Ascot. Lady Decies passed away a few months later, on June 13, 1944, in London. She was buried in the crypt of Dahlgren Chapel at Georgetown University. This chapel was a special memorial built by her and her first husband for their son, Joseph, who died as an infant.
Books Written by Elizabeth
