Otto E. Dohrenwend (1899–1989) was an American investment banker from Scarsdale, New York, best known for his conservative political activism during the 1950s.
As chairman of the Scarsdale Citizens Committee, better known as the Committee of Ten, during the 1950s and 1960s, he challenged what he called Communist influence in the Scarsdale public schools.O'Connor, Carol A. "A Sort of Utopia: Scarsdale, 1891-1981," 1983Questions School Board: Scarsdale Committee Asks Policy on Teaching of Americanism, The New York Times, Oct. 14, 1949, P. 29 An investigation by the Scarsdale Town Club later rejected these claims.Scarsdale Reports No Reds in Schools, The New York Times, April 24, 1953 He later drew national attention when challenging the rights of supporters of the Freedom Riders to hold a fund-raising benefit in a public high school auditorium.Folsom, Merrill. Scarsdale Show Cleared in Court, The New York Times March 17, 1962, Page 27
Dohrenwend was a senior partner in the brokerage firm of Baker, Weeks & Harden from 1936 to 1972. He also served as a member of the national American Legion's Americanism Committee and on the board of trustees of Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York.Otto Dohrenwend, 90, Investment Broker, The New York Times, October 21, 1989
He was married to the former Constance Wilckes. Dohrenwend graduated from Columbia College in 1917. He became a Knight of Malta in 1950.
References