Brigadier General Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Jr.
(1897-1961)
United States Army

Accession number:
1946.01

Maker:
Unknown
Signed “Déus 46” or “Dens 46.”

Historical period:
1946

Miltary branch:

Wars and Conflicts:
,

Type:
,

Dimensions:
H x W: 20 in. / 15 in.

Acquisition date:
N/A

Credit line:
Gift of Members of the Army and Navy Club

Location:
,

Provenance:

The Army and Navy Club, gift of its members. Date of acquisition unknown.

Label:

Anthony Biddle was Minister to Norway in 1935 before being appointed the U.S. Ambassador to Poland. He fled Poland to London with the Polish government, then served as interim Ambassador to France. Ambassador to all the governments-in-exile in London, he was activated to military service and worked on General Eisenhower’s planning staff for Operation Overlord, the Normandy invasion, and then served as SHAPE Executive for Military Representatives. From March to October 1961 he was the U.S. Ambassador to Spain.

Biddle was famous for being elegantly dressed, even appearing on the cover of Life magazine on October 4, 1943. The one published picture of Biddle without his impeccable suit was when he had to pack in a hurry to escape German bombers in Poland. He was recognized in 1960 by George Frazier as one of the best dressed men in the U.S., on a short list with such celebrities as dancer and actor Fred Astaire. He was noted for his small number of fine custom-made suits and his starched, vertically-striped Charvet shirts.