Rhee, Francesca Donner, 1900-1992

General Lyman Louis Lemnitzer (1899-1988) served in the United States Army from 1920-1969 and and made contributions during both World War II and the Korean War. Born in Honesdale, Pennsylvannia, he graduated in from West Point in 1920 and attended the Coast Artillery School in 1921 and the Command and General Staff School in 1936. He married Katherine Mead Tryon in 1923 and they had two children. It was during service in Korea that the Lemnitzer and Rhee families became life-long friends. Lemnitzer supported building a strong Korea which was much appreciated by President Rhee. After the Korean War, Lemnitzer rose in the ranks and from 1960-1963, he served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He ended his military career as a four-star general having achieved the rank of Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and served in that capacity from 1963-1969.

President Syngman Rhee (1875-1965) was the first president of South Korea (1948-1960). Born in the Hwangwae Province, he was educated in traditional studies as well as attending a Methodist missionary school. As a youth, he was arrested for his work to promote Korean independence. Upon his release in 1904, Rhee moved to the United States where he earned degrees at George Washington, Harvard and Princeton (PhD, 1910). In 1919, he was elected president of the Korean Provisional Government in exile in Washington, D.C. and to support Korean independence. In 1934, he marrried Frances Donner, an Austrian, and travelled the world promoting his cause. He became a leader in South Korea under the U. S. occupation after World World II and was elected president of the Republic of Korea in 1948. He believed that all Korea should be united and worked with the U. S. to secure economic aid and support for the military. Demonstrations against government corruption led to Rhee's resignation in 1960. He spent his last 5 years in Hawaii.

From the guide to the Correspondence between the families of President Syngman Rhee and General Lyman Lemnitzer., 1956-1983, (University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Department of Special Collections)