Varian Mackey Fry

About

Journalist and organizer of the rescue network which helped approximately 2000 to 4000 anti-Nazi and Jewish refugees escape the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. He was given the title "Righteous Among the Nations" by the state of Israel. In addition to his direct assistance in this effort, he has also written numerous publications documenting the abuse of Jews by Hitler's regime, including books and articles for periodicals such as The New York Times.

Before Fame

At the age of 9 years old, he held a fundraiser for the American Red Cross with his friends during World War I. While attending Harvard University, he founded the publication Hound & Horn, which would produce the submissions of many students that would later become famous writers. His journalistic career with The Living Age led him to travel to Berlin as a foreign correspondent, where he witnessed the horrific treatment of Jews by Nazis, which inspired him to take action. 

Trivia

He helped to form the Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC), which was supported by dignitaries such as First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Although he was terminated from his position with the ERC in 1942, he was recruited to be an advisor for the War Refugee Board of President Theodore Roosevelt.

Family Life

He was born the son of Lillian Mackey and Arthur Fry. He married Eileen Avery Hughes in 1931 but they later divorced. He remarried to Annette Riley in 1950; they had 3 children together before separating in 1966.

Associated With

Some of the countless refugees he aided include the historian and philosopher Hannah Arendt as well as author and co-founder of surrealism Andre Breton.