Mrs. W. Norman FitzGerald, Jr., was born Florence Patton, the daughter of Milwaukee businessman Ludington Patton (1871-1934) and his wife Florence. In August 1920, young Florence Patton and her father traveled to Europe where they visited England, France and the Low Countries. Beginning in September, after Mr. Patton had returned to America, Miss Patton and her cousin Sarah Humphries (daughter of former Milwaukee resident, the Reverend Otto Fairfield Humphries) traveled throughout France, In February 1921, after a short trip to a resort in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Miss Patton signed up for a six month tour of duty as a driver for the Comite Americain Pour Les Regions Devastees de la France (C.A.R.D.). This group of women relief workers included many members of Milwaukee's first families. In August 1921, after serving the C.A.R.D. for six months in Soissons and Vic-Sur-Aisne, Miss Patton apparently returned to America. On June 20, 1923 she married W. Norman FitzGerald, Jr., the son of a leading Milwaukee manufacturer.
For additional information, see the Milwaukee Journal, March 31, 1921, section five, page one.
