Donn F. Draeger

Donald Frederick "Donn" Draeger (April 15, 1922 – October 20, 1982) was an internationally known teacher and practitioner of Japanese martial arts. He was the author of several important books on Asian martial arts, and was a pioneer of international judo in the United States and Japan. He also helped make the study of martial arts an acceptable topic of academic research.

Biography

Personal life

Donald Frederick "Donn" Draeger was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 15, 1922. His parents were Frank and Irma (Poetsch) Draeger. In 1940, at age 17, he was living in Milwaukee with his father, his stepmother Dora, two half-brothers, and his father’s stepfather and mother. He was married in Bluefield, West Virginia on June 18, 1949. During the next two years, Draeger and his wife had two sons. The family separated in the spring of 1951.

In 1956, Draeger attended Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and in 1959, he was awarded the bachelor of science degree from Sophia University in Tokyo.