Clyde Kenneth Harris (April 18, 1918 – March 2, 1958) was an American soldier and interior decorator. He served as one of the "Monuments Men" during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and later married a granddaughter of

Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...

Early life

Harris was born on April 18, 1918 in

Maud, Oklahoma Maud is a town on the boundary between Pottawatomie and Seminole counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 1,048 at the 2010 census, a 7.8 percent decrease from the figure of 1,136 in 2000. The town was named for Maud Stearns, a ...

. He was the son of banker Van Buren Harris (1886–1974) and Aurora (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Vandevere) Harris (1891–1969) and grew up in

Konawa, Oklahoma Konawa is a city in Seminole County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,298 at the 2010 census. ''Konawa'' is a Seminole word meaning, "string of beads."

. Harris graduated with a degree in

interior decoration Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordina ...

from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

in 1939, where he was president of the

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon (), commonly known as SAE, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is t ...

fraternity, a member of

Phi Eta Sigma Phi Eta Sigma () is an American freshman honor society. Founded at the University of Illinois on March 22, 1923, it is the oldest and largest freshman honor society and has chartered three hundred and eighty-six chapters throughout the United Stat ...

, and secretary of Delta Phi Delta. After earning his BFA, he was offered a scholarship to study in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, but instead attended the

Parsons School of Design Parsons School of Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is a private art and design college located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhatt ...

Career

In 1943, he enlisted in the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

, but was later assigned to the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program. While working with the MFAA, he retrieved Holbein's ''Madonna'' from the dungeon of Coburg Castle. He was later sent to Wolfsgarten Castle to conduct interviews relating to the theft of the Hessen crown jewels (by, as it turned out, three Americans). During the course of his investigation, he met Princess Cecilie Viktoria Anastasia Zeta Thyra Adelheid of Prussia, daughter of

Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia (Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst; 6 May 1882 – 20 July 1951) was the eldest child of the last '' Kaiser'', the German Emperor, Wilhelm II, and his consort Augusta Victoria of Schl ...

and granddaughter of

. The two were married at

Hohenzollern Castle Hohenzollern Castle (german: Burg Hohenzollern ) is the ancestral seat of the imperial House of Hohenzollern. The third of three hilltop castles built on the site, it is located atop Mount Hohenzollern, above and south of Hechingen, on the ed ...

on June 21, 1949. The pair settled in

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall County ...

, where Harris worked as an interior designer. Together, they were the parents of one daughter: * Kira Alexandrine Harris (b. 1954) Harris died of a

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

at the age of 39 on March 2, 1958. His widow died in 1975 while visiting family in Germany.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Clyde Kenneth Monuments men 1958 deaths People from Konawa, Oklahoma People from Amarillo, Texas University of Oklahoma alumni Parsons School of Design alumni American interior designers 1918 births