Cathee Dahmen

Catherine Helen Sachs née Cathee Dahmen (September 16, 1945 – November 25, 1997) was the first Native American Supermodel model in the 1960s and 1970s.

Cathee Dahmen
Born
Cathee Dahmen

(1945-09-16)September 16, 1945
DiedNovember 25, 1997(1997-11-25) (aged 52)
NationalityAmerican
Other namesCatherine Helen Sachs
OccupationModel
Spouse(s)Leonard Whiting;
Alan Merrill

She was half German, half Chippewa and was born and raised in Minnesota.[1]

Modeling career

Dahmen left home at the age of 17 to live with her uncle, artist George Morrison, in Providence, Rhode Island. She was discovered in her late teens by The New York Times illustrator Antonio Lopez, who introduced her to the fashion industry.

Dahmen spent her peak years with Ford Models, where she was one of the agency's top earners of the 1960s.[2] She appeared on the cover of Harper's Bazaar in 1968[3] and Vogue in 1971. She was also associated with the Youthquake movement.[4]

Family

Dahmen grew up in South Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1962, while still in high school, she gave birth to her first daughter, Veronica Rose Dahmen (now Author Susan Fedorko) who at the age of 11 months—and without Dahmen's knowledge or consent—was placed for adoption, by Dahmen's mother. Heartbreak associated with this incident precipitated Dahmen's relocation to Providence, Rhode Island.

After marrying British actor Leonard Whiting, Dahmen moved to London, where she continued modeling for Models 1. This marriage produced a daughter in 1971, Sarah Beth Whiting, who died in 2014.[5] Dahmen divorced Whiting in the late 1970s. Following her second marriage to singer Alan Merrill, she moved to New York.[6] Dahmen had two children with Merrill, daughter Laura Ann Sachs and son Allan Preston Sachs Jr.[7]

A 2009 Denver Post article revealed that Dahmen's daughter, now known as Susie Fedorko, had been adopted by a Minnesota family and only later discovered that her mother "became a supermodel in the 1970s and hung out with the likes of Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol."[8]

Dahmen retired from modeling in 1980 and died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 1997.[2]

References
  1. {{Cite web She is the 1st Native American Supermodel. | title = Native American Adoptee-coming Home | accessdate = 2012-11-22 | url = http://library.adoption.com/articles/native-american-adoptee-coming-home.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131112223829/http://library.adoption.com/articles/native-american-adoptee-coming-home.html | archive-date = 2013-11-12 | url-status = dead }}
  2. "Cathee Dahmen by Susie Fedorko". Retrieved 2012-11-22.
  3. "Paper Pursuits: fashion and design print collectibles -- Vintage Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Couturier Patterns, Fashion Ads and Books". Archived from the original on 2013-01-31. Retrieved 2012-11-22.
  4. "youthquakers: August 1971 -UK Vogue". Youthquaker, 1965-1975. Archived from the original on 2013-01-19. Retrieved 2012-11-22.
  5. "Sarah Knestrick - Obituary". www.legacy.com. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
  6. "alanmerrill.net: Alan Merrill's Biography". Archived from the original on 2013-08-18. Retrieved 2012-11-22.
  7. Fedorko, Suzie. "My Birth Mother, The Fashion Model". MORE Magazine. Archived from the original on 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2012-11-22.
  8. Whaley, Monte. "Forcibly adopted American Indians torn between cultures". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2012-11-22.
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