Constance Harvey’s Medal of Freedom
France 1947
Constance Ray Harvey, one of the first women to become a Foreign Service Officer, voluntarily put herself in danger while serving as a diplomat in France during World War II. For her extraordinary efforts, she earned this Medal of Freedom—the predecessor of today’s Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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MLA Format
Constance Harvey's Medal of Freedom. 1947. National Museum of American Diplomacy, https://diplomacy.state.gov/items/constance-harveys-medal-of-freedom
Chicago Format
Constance Harvey's Medal of Freedom, 1947, National Museum of American Diplomacy, Washington, DC, https://diplomacy.state.gov/items/constance-harveys-medal-of-freedom
APA Format
(1947). Constance Harvey's Medal of Freedom [Object]. National Museum of American Diplomacy, Washington, D.C., United States. https://diplomacy.state.gov/items/constance-harveys-medal-of-freedom
Learn More About Constance Harvey
Collection Highlights
Constance Harvey, the Medal of Freedom, and the Bravery of a Diplomat in World War II
In January 1941, the U.S. Department of State transferred Constance Ray Harvey from Bern, Switzerland, to the U.S. Consulate in Lyon, France, to serve as a Vice Consul. From her convenient location in Lyon, and by virtue of her official position, she would prove useful to the war effort in maintaining contacts, gathering information, and even doing a bit of smuggling—all in the name of the broader Allied cause against Germany and the Axis powers.
