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by Lady Elizabeth Decies (Author)
The Inner Life of the Gilded Age's Court Jester
Harry Symes Lehr was born in 1869 into a family that was neither wealthy nor socially prominent. His natural gift for entertaining and his penchant for hobnobbing with the very rich earned him entry to the powerful circle of New York and Newport social elite during the Gilded Age. Lehr hosted lavish and themed parties that captivated the social scene who dubbed him "King Lehr." One of his admirers and patrons, Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish, introduced him to the young widow Elizabeth Wharton Drexel. Drexel was smitten with young Harry, his elegant dress, and outrageous behavior. Soon they married.
But King Lehr had a secret. On their wedding night he cruelly dictated to his new wife that they would not live in a happy marriage nor would it be consummated. For twenty-three years Elizabeth lived in a loveless and abusive marriage. After Harry's death, Elizabeth remarried a baron and as Lady Decies, wrote down her secret story in 1938. Incorporating Harry's most intimate diaries, Lady Decies reveals a scandalous tale of power, desire, and deception.
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Harry Symes Lehr was born in 1869 into a family that was neither wealthy nor socially prominent. His natural gift for entertaining and his penchant for hobnobbing with the very rich earned him entry to the powerful circle of the New York and Newport social elite, where Harry clowned his way to a position of prominence. One of his admirers and patrons, Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish, introduced him to a young widow, Elizabeth Wharton Drexel. Elizabeth was smitten with young Harry, his elegant dress, and outrageous behavior. They were soon married. But King Lehr had a secret-he was not what he seemed. On their wedding night he cruelly dictated to his new bride the rules of their strange bedfellowship. For twenty-three years, Mrs. Lehr protected his secret and remained in a loveless and abusive marriage. After Harry's death, Elizabeth remarried, to the Baron Decies. Lady Decies wrote down her secret story in 1938, incorporating Harry's most intimate diaries, and told all in this scandalous tale of power, desire, and deception.
