W. de S. Trenholm

W. de S. Trenholm was an American No-Maj who was the secretary of the Retail Dry Goods Association in 1926.

He served as the foreman of a grand jury tasked with investigating Prohibition violations. On 6 December 1926, this jury was censured by the presiding judge, Rufus Foster, for leaking a sealed letter to the press, which was written by de S. Trenholm and intended to be read only by Foster. Foster summarily dismissed the grand jury, but was convinced by Clarke, the Assistant District Attorney, to reconsider this action. Thus, he instead ordered that the jury deliver any indictments they had found within three days, at which point their dismissal would take effect. The incident was reported in the 6 December 1926 issue of the New York Chronicle.

Behind the scenes

 * The text of the article mentioning W. de S. Trenholm in the prop issue of the New York Chronicle featured in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was taken from the real 21 November 1922 issue of The Evening World. This represents an anachronism, as the film is set in 1926, but the actual historical event referenced happened in 1923.