Felix de Weldon

Felix Weihs de Weldon (April 12, 1907 – June 3, 2003) was an Austrian-born American sculptor. His most famous pieces include the United States Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial, 1954) in Arlington County, Virginia and the Malaysian National Monument (1966) in Kuala Lumpur.

Felix de Weldon was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary on April 12, 1907. He received his early education at St. Egichin's Grammar School. In 1925, he earned an A.B. from Marchetti College, a preparatory college. From the University of Vienna's Academy of Creative Arts and School of Architecture, he earned his M.A. and M.S. degrees in 1927 and his PhD in 1929.

De Weldon first received notice as a sculptor at the age of 17, with his statue of Austrian educator and diplomat Professor Ludo Hartman. In the 1920s, he joined artist's communes in France, Italy and Spain. De Weldon eventually moved to London, where he gained a number of commissions, among them a portrait sculpture of George V.

A consequential trip to Canada to sculpt Prime Minister Mackenzie King brought De Weldon to North America. He settled in the United States in 1937. De Weldon enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II and was discharged with the rank of Painter Second Class (PTR 2). He became a United States citizen in 1945.

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