SACRED LEGACY ARCHIVES™

Constance Drexel

1894-11-28 – 1956-08-28

Portrait of Constance Drexel
Constance Drexel, full-length portrait, facing front, standing on the deck of the ship LeviathanCredit: New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection (Library of Congress).

Life & Legacy

Constance Drexel (c. November 24, 1884 or c. November 28, 1894 (possible; disputed) – August 28, 1956) was a naturalized United States citizen, and groundbreaking feature writer for U.S. newspapers. She was indicted (but not tried or convicted) for treason in World War II for radio broadcasts from Berlin that extolled Nazi virtues.
She became famous falsely claiming to be an heiress of the famous Drexel family of Philadelphia. Arrested in Vienna and jailed at war's end by American troops, she was released and allowed to return to the United States to live. The U.S. Department of Justice eventually dismissed the treason charges against Drexel after her broadcasts were not deemed "political in nature."

Occupation & Career

journalist, suffragette, artist

Legacy Highlights

Employer

Chicago Tribune · Public Ledger · The New York Times

Sources & Provenance

  1. Wikidata population candidate Q5163524 — wikidata View source

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