Daisy Polk (April 23, 1874 in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
– January 22, 1963 in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, France) was an American woman who became Comtesse de Buyer-Mimeure after marrying
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
General Marie Joseph Louis Robert de Buyer.
Polk was a prominent woman from
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
(she was the sister of architect
Willis Polk and related to
President Polk). Active in the American relief effort during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, she was assigned the reconstruction of the French village of
Vitrimont, with monies supplied by Mrs. Crocker of San Francisco; Vitrimont was the first of a number of villages restored with American aid. She and de Buyer met by chance in Vitrimont in 1916: when her car broke down, de Buyer offered his assistance; a year later they were married,
[ in September. Her husband had been in command of the 6th Light Armoured Brigade. In 1915 he became commander of the Third Cavalry Corps (France), and a year later of the Second Army Corps (France).]Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
.
In the 1930s, Comtesse de Buyer-Mimeure, a well-known public figure, was active with the Catholic Sewing Circle in Passy
Passy () is an area of Paris, France, located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, on the Rive Droite, Right Bank. It is adjacent to Auteuil, Paris, Auteuil to the southwest, and Chaillot to the northeast.
It is home to many ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polk, Daisy
1874 births
1968 deaths
People from San Francisco
Knights of the Legion of Honour
French countesses
French Roman Catholics