Mad Men question - what year was Don Draper born? (spoilers)

Cafe Society
1

Towards the end of the first season, viewers learn that Don Draper…

… was born Dick Whitman, enlisted in the Korean war, and stole the identity of his commanding officer after the officer was killed in an accident.

In the episode that starts with him getting a medical exam, his age is given as 36. I believe this was in 1960 or 1961, so it would appear that he was born in 1924-25.

He later in the series states that he ran away to join the army, so he must have been young when he enlisted. Maybe 18-20? That would put his *true *birth date around 1930-31.

I’m sorry I can’t be more precise with the dates, but my DVDs for seasons 1 and 2 are loaned out.

Thanks in advance for corrections or more accurate dates.

2

My guess is 1930 - he was a pre teen during the Depression and was just a young recruit who was younger than his commanding officer in the Korean War.

3

perhaps Don Draper was older than Dick Whitman, and in adopting Draper’s identity, Whitman aged by 5 or so years.

4

Here’s a relevant conversation on AMC’s site:

http://blogs.amctv.com/mad-men/talk/2008/07/dons-fishy-back.php

5

Hiding his secret might have aged him a year or two. Betty would have accounted for lots more.