Henry Symes Lehr in drag for an amateur theatrical performance
Henry Symes Lehr was born on March 28, 1869. He was the fourth child in a family of seven born to Mary Frances Moore Lehr, and Robert Oliver Lehr, a tobacco and snuff importer who became the German consul in Baltimore and a governor of the Maryland Club.[1] His sister was Alice Lehr Morton and his brother was Dr. Louis Lehr, who was a physician.[2]
Society lifeEdit
He attempted to establish himself as successor to Ward McAllister, arbiter elegantiarum of New York's Four Hundred, the collection of Knickerbocker and industrial families he created as a bulwark against the new wealth of the Gilded Age.[citation needed][3] He was known for staging elaborate parties alongside Marion "Mamie" Fish, such as the so-called "dog's dinner", in which 100 pets of wealthy friends dined at foot-high tables while dressed in formal attire[4] At a later party, he impersonated the Czar of Russia, and was henceforth dubbed "King Lehr".[5]
Lehr and Bessie were married at St Patrick's Cathedral in New York in 1901.[9][10] After the wedding, they traveled to the Stafford Hotel in Baltimore, where Lehr refused to sleep with her on their wedding night,[11][12] stating:
In public I will be to you everything that a most devoted husband should be to his wife. You shall never complain of my conduct in this respect. I will give you courtesy, respect and apparently devotion. But you must expect nothing more from me. When we are alone I do not intend to keep up the miserable pretense, the farce of love and sentiment. Our marriage will never be a marriage in anything but in name. I do not love you. I can never love you. I can school myself to be polite to you but that is all. The less we see of one another except in the presence of others, the better.[7]
They stayed in a loveless, unconsummated marriage for 28 years, as Lehr benefited from her wealth, she from his social connections and her strong wish to not upset her conservative, staunchly Catholic mother, Lucy (née Wharton) Drexel.[13]
He was diagnosed in 1923, the year he suffered "a general breakdown" while in Paris,[14] and had a brain tumor removed in 1927.[15] He died on January 3, 1929, of a brain malady at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.[1] At the time of his death, Bessie was in France staying at the home of Alva's daughter Consuelo Vanderbilt and her husband Jacques Balsan (after her divorce from Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough).[7] His funeral was held at St. Ignatius Church in Baltimore and he was buried in the family lot in Green Mount Cemetery.[16] Under the terms of his will, he left all of his property in the United States to his sisters and his possessions in Paris to his widow.[17]
SexualityEdit
Lehr was,[18] in fact, gay and rumored to have had a longstanding relationship with friend and fellow Newport cottager Charles Greenough.[7] Lehr owned, and hung in his bedroom, a nude painting by R. G. Harper Pennington of Robert Gould Shaw II as the character "Little Billee" from the bohemian novel Trilby (1894) by George du Maurier.[19][20]
In popular cultureEdit
Lehr appears as a supporting character in Gore Vidal's 1987 novel Empire.[21]
ReferencesEdit
^ abc"HARRY S. LEHR DIES; ONCE SOCIAL LEADER; Succumbs to a Brain Malady in Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore.LATE MRS. ASTOR'S ADVISERNoted for Daring and Originality of His Parties—Married Mrs.J. V. Dahlgren, Heiress. Quickly Got Into Limelight. Furore Over". The New York Times. January 4, 1929. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
^"Harry Lehr's sister dies. Mrs. Alice Morton Had Lived in France Since Her Marriage". New York Times. August 24, 1927.
^Washington Post; September 26, 1903. Some Thoughts on Harry Lehr. Those very industrious and entertaining gossips who spend so much time exploiting the antics of Mr. Harry Lehr do not appear to have considered the possibility that he may be anything rather than the fool they would have him. This very alert and resourceful young gentleman, it will be well to remember, has prospered most amazingly as the result of his more or less dignified activities in connection with the Newport smart set.
^Vanderbilt II, Arthur T. Fortune's Children. Wm. Morrow and Co., 1989: 243. ISBN0-688-07279-8.
^"Harry Lehr Not Engaged". The New York Times. 18 March 1901. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
^"Lady Decies, Widow of Irish Peer, Dies; Former Elizabeth Drexel of Philadelphia Was Once the Wife of Harry Lehr". New York Times. June 14, 1944.
^. Time. August 5, 1935. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved 2007-07-21. In Paris in 1929 Mrs. Elizabeth Drexel Lehr heard that her husband was dead. To the daughter of Philadelphia Banker Joseph William Drexel, that event meant that the "tragic farce" of a 28-year marriage had ended, that she was now free to tell her story. 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.
^Vanderbilt II, Arthur T. Fortune's Children. Wm. Morrow and Co., 1989: 235–7. ISBN0-688-07279-8
^Adams, Michael Henry (1 July 2009). "Queers in the Mirror: A Brief History of Old-Fashioned Gay Marriage in New York, Part One". Huffington Post. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
henry, symes, lehr, march, 1869, january, 1929, american, socialite, during, gilded, dubbed, america, court, jester, lehr, 1908bornmarch, 1869baltimore, maryland, united, statesdiedjanuary, 1929, 1929, aged, baltimore, maryland, united, statesresting, placegre. Henry Symes Lehr March 28 1869 January 3 1929 was an American socialite during the Gilded Age who was dubbed America s Court Jester 1 Henry Symes LehrLehr in 1908BornMarch 28 1869Baltimore Maryland United StatesDiedJanuary 3 1929 1929 01 03 aged 59 Baltimore Maryland United StatesResting placeGreen Mount CemeteryOther namesKing LehrSpouseElizabeth Wharton Drexel m 1901 wbr Contents 1 Early life 2 Society life 3 Personal life 3 1 Sexuality 4 In popular culture 5 References 6 External linksEarly life Edit nbsp Henry Symes Lehr in drag for an amateur theatrical performanceHenry Symes Lehr was born on March 28 1869 He was the fourth child in a family of seven born to Mary Frances Moore Lehr and Robert Oliver Lehr a tobacco and snuff importer who became the German consul in Baltimore and a governor of the Maryland Club 1 His sister was Alice Lehr Morton and his brother was Dr Louis Lehr who was a physician 2 Society life EditHe attempted to establish himself as successor to Ward McAllister arbiter elegantiarum of New York s Four Hundred the collection of Knickerbocker and industrial families he created as a bulwark against the new wealth of the Gilded Age citation needed 3 He was known for staging elaborate parties alongside Marion Mamie Fish such as the so called dog s dinner in which 100 pets of wealthy friends dined at foot high tables while dressed in formal attire 4 At a later party he impersonated the Czar of Russia and was henceforth dubbed King Lehr 5 He objected to his name being used in a song from the musical comedy Baroness Fiddlesticks 6 Personal life EditIn 1900 Lehr was introduced to recently widowed 32 year old heiress Elizabeth Bessie Wharton Drexel Dahlgren the widow of John Vinton Dahlgren and daughter of the late Philadelphia banker Joseph William Drexel by Edith Gould the wife of George Jay Gould 7 Edith told Bessie that he had hardly any money but he goes everywhere and that it was impossible to have a party without him 7 Gould also told her that the men didn t like him and called him one of the little brothers of the rich but that s just because they are jealous of his popularity 7 They saw each other often and in March Lehr took her to Sherry s where he introduced her to Caroline Schermerhorn Astor married to William Backhouse Astor Jr Marion Graves Anthon Fish married to Stuyvesant Fish Theresa Fair Oelrichs married to Hermann Oelrichs and Alva Belmont who was divorced from William Kissam Vanderbilt and married to Oliver Belmont 7 After meeting the society doyennes approval Lehr proposed to Bessie on the way home 7 8 Lehr and Bessie were married at St Patrick s Cathedral in New York in 1901 9 10 After the wedding they traveled to the Stafford Hotel in Baltimore where Lehr refused to sleep with her on their wedding night 11 12 stating In public I will be to you everything that a most devoted husband should be to his wife You shall never complain of my conduct in this respect I will give you courtesy respect and apparently devotion But you must expect nothing more from me When we are alone I do not intend to keep up the miserable pretense the farce of love and sentiment Our marriage will never be a marriage in anything but in name I do not love you I can never love you I can school myself to be polite to you but that is all The less we see of one another except in the presence of others the better 7 They stayed in a loveless unconsummated marriage for 28 years as Lehr benefited from her wealth she from his social connections and her strong wish to not upset her conservative staunchly Catholic mother Lucy nee Wharton Drexel 13 nbsp Harper Pennington s portrait of Robert Gould Shaw II as Little Billee from the novel Trilby a painting said to have been owned by Lehr and hung in his bedroomHe was diagnosed in 1923 the year he suffered a general breakdown while in Paris 14 and had a brain tumor removed in 1927 15 He died on January 3 1929 of a brain malady at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore 1 At the time of his death Bessie was in France staying at the home of Alva s daughter Consuelo Vanderbilt and her husband Jacques Balsan after her divorce from Charles Spencer Churchill 9th Duke of Marlborough 7 His funeral was held at St Ignatius Church in Baltimore and he was buried in the family lot in Green Mount Cemetery 16 Under the terms of his will he left all of his property in the United States to his sisters and his possessions in Paris to his widow 17 Sexuality Edit Lehr was 18 in fact gay and rumored to have had a longstanding relationship with friend and fellow Newport cottager Charles Greenough 7 Lehr owned and hung in his bedroom a nude painting by R G Harper Pennington of Robert Gould Shaw II as the character Little Billee from the bohemian novel Trilby 1894 by George du Maurier 19 20 In popular culture EditLehr appears as a supporting character in Gore Vidal s 1987 novel Empire 21 References Edit a b c HARRY S LEHR DIES ONCE SOCIAL LEADER Succumbs to a Brain Malady in Johns Hopkins Hospital Baltimore LATE MRS ASTOR S ADVISERNoted for Daring and Originality of His Parties Married Mrs J V Dahlgren Heiress Quickly Got Into Limelight Furore Over The New York Times January 4 1929 Retrieved 1 March 2018 Harry Lehr s sister dies Mrs Alice Morton Had Lived in France Since Her Marriage New York Times August 24 1927 Washington Post September 26 1903 Some Thoughts on Harry Lehr Those very industrious and entertaining gossips who spend so much time exploiting the antics of Mr Harry Lehr do not appear to have considered the possibility that he may be anything rather than the fool they would have him This very alert and resourceful young gentleman it will be well to remember has prospered most amazingly as the result of his more or less dignified activities in connection with the Newport smart set Vanderbilt II Arthur T Fortune s Children Wm Morrow and Co 1989 243 ISBN 0 688 07279 8 Vanderbilts 244 HARRY LEHR OBJECTS Doesn t Like Use of Name in a Musical Comedy The New York Times 1904 11 24 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2023 07 18 a b c d e f g h Society As He Found It Harry Lehr New York Social Diary 23 August 2012 Retrieved 1 March 2018 Harry Lehr Not Engaged The New York Times 18 March 1901 Retrieved 1 March 2018 Lady Decies Widow of Irish Peer Dies Former Elizabeth Drexel of Philadelphia Was Once the Wife of Harry Lehr New York Times June 14 1944 Record of the Rich Time August 5 1935 Archived from the original on October 19 2012 Retrieved 2007 07 21 In Paris in 1929 Mrs Elizabeth Drexel Lehr heard that her husband was dead To the daughter of Philadelphia Banker Joseph William Drexel that event meant that the tragic farce of a 28 year marriage had ended that she was now free to tell her story 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 Vanderbilt II Arthur T Fortune s Children Wm Morrow and Co 1989 235 7 ISBN 0 688 07279 8 Adams Michael Henry 1 July 2009 Queers in the Mirror A Brief History of Old Fashioned Gay Marriage in New York Part One Huffington Post Retrieved 1 March 2018 Decies Lady 1935 King Lehr and the Gilded Age Bedford Massachusetts Applewood Books ISBN 1 55709 963 4 HARRY S LEHR VERY ILL Former New York Society Leader Suffers a Breakdown in Paris The New York Times 5 December 1923 Retrieved 1 March 2018 Harry S Lehr Still in Hospital The New York Times January 25 1927 Retrieved 1 March 2018 HARRY S LEHR BURIED Former Social Leader s Funeral Held in Baltimore Church The New York Times January 6 1929 Retrieved 1 March 2018 WILL OF H S LEHR IS FILED Society Man Bequeathed Property to Widow and Relatives The New York Times 3 April 1929 Retrieved 1 March 2018 Etiquetteer Reviews King Lehr and the Gilded Age Vol 16 Issue 31 Etiquetteer August 9 2017 Retrieved 1 March 2018 Decies Elizabeth Wharton Drexel Beresford 1935 King Lehr and the gilded age The leisure class in America Philadelphia London J B Lippincott Company ISBN 978 0 405 06918 5 Winship Kihm 26 February 2013 On a Painting that Might Be R G Shaw II Faithful Readers Retrieved 1 March 2018 Vidal Gore 2000 Empire A Novel Vintage International ISBN 9780375708749 Retrieved 1 March 2018 External links EditHenry Symes Lehr at Find a Grave Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Henry Symes Lehr amp oldid 1179069707, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
