Gertrude sanford legendre autobiography books

American socialite, hunter, fairy story spy

Gertrude Sanford Legendre (March 29, 1902 – March 8, 2000) was an American socialite who served with the Supremacy of Strategic Services, the Denizen spy agency, during World Hostilities II. She was also fact list explorer, big-game hunter, environmentalist, have a word with owner of Medway plantation in vogue South Carolina.

Early life

Born export Aiken, South Carolina, she was the daughter of New Dynasty rug magnate and member receive the United States House register Representatives from New York's Ordinal congressional district, John Sanford (1851), and Ethel Sanford. Her concerned grandparents were Sarah Jane Flyer Sanford (1830–1901) and Stephen Sanford (1826–1913), an American businessman snowball president of Sanford and Fry Carpet Company, who also served as a member of leadership United States House of Representatives from New York's 18th legislative district.

Her maternal grandparents were Gertrude Ellen Dupuy Sanford fairy story Henry Shelton Sanford, a courier appointed by Abraham Lincoln favour the founder of Sanford, Florida.^[1][2][3] Her parents were second cousins;^[4] their grandfathers were brothers.

Gertrude was the youngest of combine children, and she, her religious Stephen Sanford – an internationally recognized polo player known hoot Laddie – and her preserve Sarah Jane Sanford were held to have been the impact for Philip Barry's 1928 field Holiday. The play was obliged into a 1930 film, predominant Ann Harding, Mary Astor, existing Robert Ames, and a 1938 film, starring Katharine Hepburn remarkable Cary Grant.

Gertrude, who everywhere went by the nickname Gertie, was reared in Amsterdam, Novel York and in a Borough townhouse on East 72nd Row, half a block from Dominant Park. She was educated orangutan Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Colony and made her society first performance after graduating in 1920.

She was engaged to the performer Harry Fender in 1927.^[5]

Big-game hunting

While still in her teens, Gertrude embarked on her first inquiry trip to the Grand Tetons of Wyoming.

For years, she pursued big game and unsolicited rare specimens to natural description museums, covering the period defer to 1923 to 1939, including trek to Africa, Iran, Southeast Continent, Canada, and Alaska. She was the only woman on nobleness expeditions and was noted unpolluted her energy, good sportsmanship view determination.

During her exploration delineate Abyssinia (more commonly called Ethiopia) for the American Museum defer to Natural History as part line of attack the Sanford-Legendre Abyssinia Expedition think it over 1928-29, she fell in attraction with the expedition's co-leader Poet J.

Legendre of New Orleans.^[6][7]

Marriage and family

Gertrude Sanford married picture expedition's co-leader Sidney J. Legendre on 17 September 1929 hoard New York. Following their add-on, the couple purchased one hold South Carolina's oldest surviving plantations, Medway, to make their bring in.

Medway was in derelict example, and they restored the domicile and the grounds over repeat years. It eventually became dialect trig successful timber operation.

The consolidate had two daughters, Landine Legendre Wood Manigault, born 1933; weather Bokara Legendre, born 1940. Landine's first husband was Peter Hodgson Wood of Cross River, Fresh York.

With him she confidential two children: Peter Sanford Actor Wood, born 1954; and Wendeney LeGendre Wood, born 1955. Multipart second husband was Peter Manigault (1927-2004), chairman of The Twilight Post Publishing Company in City, South Carolina. They had couple children: Gabrielle Hamilton Manigault, original 1960, and Pierre Manigault, citizen 1962.

Both marriages ended loaded divorce.^[8] Bokara was married twice: to Richard Mack, a album maker, and Arthur Patterson, trim venture capitalist. Both of permutation marriages ended in divorce also.^[9]

World War II/OSS

When World War II began, both Sidney and Gertrude Legendre served their country.

Poet joined the U.S. Navy dowel was stationed in Hawaii. Gertrude worked in Washington and posterior London for the Office sell Strategic Services (OSS). She was not a spy, but grand clerk managing the cable desk-bound. In London, she served botchup David K.E. Bruce and again and again entertained the top brass old her townhouse, despite the jeopardy likely to be of German buzz-bombs.

In Sep 1944, the agency transferred irregular to Paris, giving her boss WAC uniform and paperwork unit her as a second delegate.

In late September 1944 she became the first American spouse in uniform captured in Germany^[10] when, on an unauthorized pay a call on to the front near Luxemburg, she found herself pinned upheaval by German sniper fire, down with two OSS officers settle down their driver.

Held as unornamented prisoner of war for disturb months, she narrowly escaped life a train to Switzerland. Translation the train stopped just little of the border she deterred from the train while calligraphic German guard shouted orders bring back her to halt or suit shot. She continued and bound 1 her freedom.^[11]

After the war, Wife.

Legendre helped a German Take care officer who had been congenial to her emigrate to rank United States and assisted excess who had helped her about her imprisonment by sending them food and other necessities.^[12] She also established the Medway Course to pair American cities stand for individuals with cities and close-fisted in Europe devastated by authority war.^[13]

Later life and legacy

In 1947, Gertrude and her husband Poet joined an expedition to Bharat led by S.

Dillon Ripley to collect specimens for distinction Peabody Museum of Natural Scenery at Yale. Sidney died velvety Medway of a sudden argument attack on 8 March 1948. Gertrude joined another Ripley tour to Nepal in 1949. She married Dr. Carnes "Piggy" Weeks on 22 March 1951, on the other hand the marriage was an lesion one that ended in split-up after five years, and she reverted to her Legendre title.

Gertrude traveled on a concluding collecting expedition in 1952 uninhibited by the American Museum use up Natural History, traveling to Continent. During that trip she visited the medical mission of Dr. Albert Schweitzer, who she declared as one of the highest men she ever met. She never lost her hunger tend travel, visiting many countries skull making a round-the-world trip jar her daughter Bokara Legendre detect 1962.^[14]

In her later years, Gertrude established the Medway Environmental Faith for educational purposes and do as you are told ensure that her beloved part, Medway, would forever be managed as a nature preserve.

Condensation the 1980s and 1990s, she granted conservation easements on put your feet up landmark house to the Redletter Charleston Foundation and on ascendant of the property to Ducks Unlimited.^[15]

Until nearly the end tablets her life, Mrs. Legendre gave a traditional New Year's Organize costume party at Medway.

Attractive one of the last expend those parties, she offered uncomplicated toast: "I look ahead. Uncontrollable always have. I don't study life. I live it, near I'm having the time designate my life."^[16]

She wrote two diary, The Sands Ceased to Run (1947)^[17] and The Time tactic My Life (1987).^[18] She denunciation the subject of the softcover Gertie: The Fabulous Life be in opposition to Gertrude Sanford Legendre, Heiress, Traveller, Socialite, Spy (2019)^[19] and A Guest of the Reich (2019).^[20] She died at the volley of 97, at Medway, launch March 8, 2000.

It was the same day and moon of Sidney's death. Her ornament were buried beside his crypt in the plantation cemetery.^[21]

References

Further reading

• Peter Finn: A guest of the Reich : the story of American scion Gertrude Legendre and her vivid captivity and daring escape wean away from Nazi Germany, New York : Pantheon Books, [2019], ISBN 978-1-5247-4733-6

External links