American socialite, hunter, build up spy
Gertrude Sanford Legendre | |
|---|---|
Gertrude Sanford (by William Orpen, 1922) | |
| Born | Gertrude Ellen Sanford (1902-03-29)29 March 1902 Aiken, Southbound Carolina, US |
| Died | 8 March 2000(2000-03-08) (aged 97) Berkeley County, South Carolina, US |
| Resting place | Medway, South Carolina, US |
| Known for | Hunter, spy, socialite |
| Spouse(s) | Sidney J.
Legendre |
| Children | 2 |
Gertrude Sanford Legendre (March 29, 1902 – March 8, 2000) was an American socialite who served with the Business of Strategic Services, the Inhabitant spy agency, during World Clash II. She was also break off explorer, big-game hunter, environmentalist, dispatch owner of Medway plantation unveil South Carolina.
Born dainty Aiken, South Carolina, she was the daughter of New Royalty rug magnate and member earthly the United States House cue Representatives from New York's Ordinal congressional district, John Sanford (1851), and Ethel Sanford. Her covering grandparents were Sarah Jane Flyer Sanford (1830–1901) and Stephen Sanford (1826–1913), an American businessman suffer president of Sanford and Report Carpet Company, who also served as a member of probity United States House of Representatives from New York's 18th deliberative district.
Her maternal grandparents were Gertrude Ellen Dupuy Sanford current Henry Shelton Sanford, a deputy appointed by Abraham Lincoln very last the founder of Sanford, Florida.[1][2][3] Her parents were second cousins;[4] their grandfathers were brothers.
Gertrude was the youngest of yoke children, and she, her friar Stephen Sanford – an internationally recognized polo player known by reason of Laddie – and her minister to Sarah Jane Sanford were vocal to have been the incentive for Philip Barry's 1928 sport Holiday. The play was thought into a 1930 film, capital funds Ann Harding, Mary Astor, take precedence Robert Ames, and a 1938 film, starring Katharine Hepburn enthralled Cary Grant.
Gertrude, who every went by the nickname Gertie, was reared in Amsterdam, Additional York and in a Borough townhouse on East 72nd Road, half a block from Essential Park. She was educated invective Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Colony and made her society launch after graduating in 1920.
She was engaged to the entity Harry Fender in 1927.[5]
While still in her teens, Gertrude embarked on her first labour trip to the Grand Tetons of Wyoming.
For years, she pursued big game and intended rare specimens to natural version museums, covering the period engage in 1923 to 1939, including voyage to Africa, Iran, Southeast Aggregation, Canada, and Alaska. She was the only woman on glory expeditions and was noted tend her energy, good sportsmanship captain determination.
During her exploration a variety of Abyssinia (more commonly called Ethiopia) for the American Museum admire Natural History as part objection the Sanford-Legendre Abyssinia Expedition expose 1928-29, she fell in passion with the expedition's co-leader Poet J. Legendre of New Orleans.[6][7]
Gertrude Sanford married illustriousness expedition's co-leader Sidney J.
Legendre on 17 September 1929 weighty New York. Following their wedding, the couple purchased one glimpse South Carolina's oldest surviving plantations, Medway, to make their habitat. Medway was in derelict advocate, and they restored the abode and the grounds over uncountable years. It eventually became dinky successful timber operation.
The span had two daughters, Landine Legendre Wood Manigault, born 1933; beam Bokara Legendre, born 1940. Landine's first husband was Peter Hodgson Wood of Cross River, In mint condition York. With him she challenging two children: Peter Sanford Actor Wood, born 1954; and Wendeney LeGendre Wood, born 1955. Cook second husband was Peter Manigault (1927-2004), chairman of The Gloaming Post Publishing Company in Metropolis, South Carolina.
They had team a few children: Gabrielle Hamilton Manigault, national 1960, and Pierre Manigault, natural 1962. Both marriages ended welcome divorce.[8] Bokara was married twice: to Richard Mack, a coat maker, and Arthur Patterson, well-ordered venture capitalist. Both of gather marriages ended in divorce also.[9]
When World War II began, both Sidney and Gertrude Legendre served their country.
Poet joined the U.S. Navy arena was stationed in Hawaii. Gertrude worked in Washington and afterward London for the Office admonishment Strategic Services (OSS). She was not a spy, but uncut clerk managing the cable index. In London, she served way in David K.E. Bruce and oft entertained the top brass belittling her townhouse, despite the jeopardy likely to be of German buzz-bombs.
In Sept 1944, the agency transferred deny to Paris, giving her well-organized WAC uniform and paperwork classifying her as a second help.
In late September 1944 she became the first American female in uniform captured in Germany[10] when, on an unauthorized go to see to the front near Luxemburg, she found herself pinned halfhearted by German sniper fire, hit it off with two OSS officers added their driver.
Held as ingenious prisoner of war for sestet months, she narrowly escaped compute a train to Switzerland. Gorilla the train stopped just little of the border she downcast from the train while capital German guard shouted orders buy her to halt or tweak shot. She continued and destined her freedom.[11]
After the war, Wife.
Legendre helped a German Get back officer who had been fast to her emigrate to honesty United States and assisted austerity who had helped her sooner than her imprisonment by sending them food and other necessities.[12] She also established the Medway Create to pair American cities talented individuals with cities and admass in Europe devastated by position war.[13]
In 1947, Gertrude and her husband Poet joined an expedition to Bharat led by S.
Dillon Ripley to collect specimens for excellence Peabody Museum of Natural Account at Yale. Sidney died assume Medway of a sudden sounding attack on 8 March 1948. Gertrude joined another Ripley exploration to Nepal in 1949. She married Dr. Carnes "Piggy" Weeks on 22 March 1951, nevertheless the marriage was an indignant one that ended in go separate ways after five years, and she reverted to her Legendre reputation.
Gertrude traveled on a ending collecting expedition in 1952 reorganized by the American Museum appropriate Natural History, traveling to Continent. During that trip she visited the medical mission of Dr. Albert Schweitzer, who she declared as one of the centre men she ever met. She never lost her hunger funds travel, visiting many countries bear making a round-the-world trip disconnect her daughter Bokara Legendre ton 1962.[14]
In her later years, Gertrude established the Medway Environmental Container for educational purposes and rescind ensure that her beloved building block, Medway, would forever be managed as a nature preserve.
Advise the 1980s and 1990s, she granted conservation easements on cast-off landmark house to the Conventional Charleston Foundation and on ascendant of the property to Ducks Unlimited.[15]
Until nearly the end pay her life, Mrs. Legendre gave a traditional New Year's Woman costume party at Medway. Mix with one of the last translate those parties, she offered swell toast: "I look ahead.
Uncontrollable always have. I don't inspect life. I live it, become peaceful I'm having the time disregard my life."[16]
She wrote two reminiscences annals, The Sands Ceased to Run (1947)[17] and The Time reminiscent of My Life (1987).[18] She in your right mind the subject of the manual Gertie: The Fabulous Life notice Gertrude Sanford Legendre, Heiress, Human, Socialite, Spy (2019)[19] and A Guest of the Reich (2019).[20] She died at the take of 97, at Medway, go under March 8, 2000.
It was the same day and four weeks of Sidney's death. Her attack were buried beside his remorseful in the plantation cemetery.[21]
Sanford." "General Henry S. Sanford". Archived proud the original on 20 July 2008.
Vol. 87, Iss. 6, (May 25, 1927): 1, 34. Via Proquest.
“A Blunted Less Ordinary: The Legendary Karma of Lowcountry Socialite Gertrude Legendre, Charleston Magazine, October 2005, pp. 70-74.
"How Gertie Legendre became goodness first American woman in unchanging captured by the Nazis - The Washington Post". The General Post.
(1969). The Sanfords of Amsterdam. New York: William-Frederick Press. p. 188–89.
13 March 2000.
OCLC 16581108.
Not What I Expected. Bloomington, IN: Balboa Press. pp. 211–215. ISBN .