Spiro, Herbert John (38461724) - Revision history

Admin: Biography enrichment from Wikipedia (merged with existing sources)

2026-09-25T03:40:34Z

Biography enrichment from Wikipedia (merged with existing sources)

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:40, 25 September 2026
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	\|death_date=6 April 2010		\|death_date=6 April 2010
	\|birth_place=Hamburg, Germany		\|birth_place=Hamburg, Germany
	\|death_place=San Antonio in		\|death_place=San Antonio, Texas
	\|education=Harvard University		\|education=Harvard University
	\|occupation=Political scientist		\|occupation=Political scientist
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	<div class="soldier-lead">		<div class="soldier-lead">
	'''~~[[Spiro, Herbert John (38461724)\|~~Herbert John Spiro]]''' (~~1924–2010~~) was a Ritchie Boy ~~(from Germany; Jewish)~~ who trained at Camp Ritchie in [[:Category:Class 19\|~~class~~ 19]] and served with [[Team IPW 155\|IPW Team 155]].		'''Herbert John Spiro''' (7 September 1924 – 6 April 2010) was a German-born American Ritchie Boy who trained at [[Camp Ritchie]] in [[:Category:Class 19\|Class 19]] and served with [[Team IPW 155\|IPW Team 155]], and who became a political scientist and United States Ambassador to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
	</div>		</div>

	== Biography ==		== Biography ==
	~~Born~~ in Hamburg, Germany, ~~where he~~ attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium, ~~he and his~~ family emigrated to the United States ~~in 1938~~, fleeing Nazi persecution~~. Spiro was born~~ in ~~Hamburg~~, ~~Germany to Jewish parents~~.		Herbert John Spiro was born on 7 September 1924 in Hamburg, Germany, to Jewish parents; his father worked for a distribution firm. He attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium and later recalled experiencing no discrimination in liberal Hamburg until Kristallnacht. A month later, in December 1938, the family emigrated to the United States, fleeing Nazi persecution, and after passing through New York settled in San Antonio, Texas, where he attended Brackenridge High School and spent a year at San Antonio Junior College.

	In March 1944~~, Spiro~~ attended ~~ASTP~~ at University of Illinois. He received ~~his~~ master~~'s degree in 1950 and his Ph.D~~. In ~~1961, Spiro moved from Harvard to Amherst College, where~~ he was ~~Associate Professor of Political Science until 1965~~.		Spiro entered the Army as a private (ASN 38461724) and did basic training with the 62nd Infantry Battalion in June 1943. He was naturalized as a U.S. citizen on 5 January 1944 and volunteered for military intelligence. In March 1944 he attended the Army Specialized Training Program at the University of Illinois, and he trained at Camp Ritchie with [[:Category:Class 19\|Class 19]] (section 5B). He was promoted to staff sergeant on 4 September 1944, served with [[Team IPW 155\|IPW Team 155]] attached to the First Army and with the 11th Armored Division, and received the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, finishing the war as a master sergeant. In 1945 and 1946 he was an administrative assistant to the War Department in Vienna.

	Afterwards he joined the University of Pennsylvania as Professor of Political Science, where he remained until 1970. Herbert attended San Antonio Junior College (1 year). He later returned to academia as a professor at the Free University of Berlin.		After returning to the United States, Spiro entered Harvard University, where he wrote his senior honors thesis on Marxist critiques of democracy under William Yandell Elliott, received his master's degree in 1950 and his PhD in 1953, spent a year in Germany as a Fulbright Fellow, and taught as an instructor from 1954 to 1957. A Guggenheim Fellowship in political science in 1959 took him to Rhodesia and the Central African Republic for a year. In 1961 he moved from Harvard to Amherst College as associate professor of political science until 1965, then was professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania until 1970, when he joined the State Department's Policy Planning Staff. He wrote thirteen books on politics and government. In July 1975 President Gerald Ford nominated him as ambassador to Cameroon, with concurrent accreditation to Equatorial Guinea; Equatorial Guinea declared him persona non grata in March 1976, and he served in Cameroon until May 1977. From 1980 to 1989 he taught at the Free University of Berlin's John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies. Returning to Texas, he ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992 and 1994 and for the U.S. Senate in the 1993 special election. His family name was a corruption of Speyer, though in the United States people often took him for a Greek American. Spiro died in San Antonio on 6 April 2010 and was buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

	~~There, Spiro attended Brackenridge High School, and went on to San Antonio Junior College.~~ After returning to the ~~U.S.~~, Spiro entered Harvard University~~. He served in the US Foreign Service as Ambassador to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea~~, ~~and taught at the Free University~~ of ~~Berlin.~~

	~~Herbert John Spiro (September 7~~, ~~1924 – April 6, 2010) was an American political scientist and diplomat. He~~ and his ~~family emigrated to the United States~~ in ~~1938~~, ~~fleeing Nazi persecution. Formally an enemy alien, Spiro was not subject to the draft, but after naturalizing in 1944 he volunteered for~~ a ~~military intelligence position.~~

	~~He spent 1945 and 1946 as an administrative assistant to the United States Department of War, stationed in Vienna. He spent the following~~ year in ~~his native~~ Germany as a Fulbright Fellow, and ~~then returned to Harvard in 1954, where he continued~~ as an instructor ~~until~~ 1957. ~~He received a~~ Guggenheim Fellowship in political science in 1959~~, and lived in~~ Rhodesia and the Central African Republic for the ~~next year~~.

	He ~~served with the United States Army in World War II~~. ~~During the~~ Ford ~~administration, he served~~ as ~~United States Ambassador~~ to Cameroon ~~and~~ to Equatorial Guinea~~, though the latter country~~ declared him persona non grata~~. His family name is a corruption of Speyer, a town~~ in ~~the Rhineland which once had a significant Jewish community~~, ~~but~~ he ~~reminisced that~~ in the U.S.

	~~His father worked~~ for ~~a distribution firm~~. ~~He attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium. He served with the 11th Armored Division and received the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster.~~

	~~There~~, he ~~wrote his senior honors thesis on Marxist critiques of democracy, with William Yandell Elliott as his advisor. He then joined the Department of State~~ as a ~~member of~~ the ~~Policy Planning Staff~~. ~~After returning to Texas, he ran~~ for the U.S.

	He was ~~survived by his sons Peter Spiro and Alexander Spiro~~, ~~his ex-wife Elizabeth~~ Spiro ~~Clark, and four grandchildren.~~

	He died in San Antonio in 2010, and was buried at ~~the~~ Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

	== Research notes ==		== Research notes ==
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	<div class="soldier-timeline-body">		<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
	* Born 7 September 1924 in Germany.		* Born 7 September 1924 in Germany.
			* December 1938 — Emigrated with his family to the United States; settled in San Antonio, Texas.
	* June 1943 — Basic training with 62nd Infantry Battalion.		* June 1943 — Basic training with 62nd Infantry Battalion.
	* 5 January 1944 — Became naturalized U.		* 5 January 1944 — Became naturalized U.S. citizen.
			* March 1944 — ASTP, University of Illinois.
	* 4 September 1944 — Promoted to S/Sgt.		* 4 September 1944 — Promoted to S/Sgt.
			* 1945–1946 — Administrative assistant to the War Department in Vienna.
			* 1953 — PhD, Harvard University.
			* 1961–1965 — Associate professor, Amherst College.
			* 1965–1970 — Professor, University of Pennsylvania.
			* 1975–1977 — U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon (and to Equatorial Guinea until March 1976).
			* 1980–1989 — Taught at the Free University of Berlin.
			* 6 April 2010 — Died in San Antonio, Texas.
			* Drafted into Army as Pvt (ASN: 38461724).
	* Assigned to IPW team 155 attached to the First Army.		* Assigned to IPW team 155 attached to the First Army.
	* Drafted into Army at ___as Pvt (ASN: 38461724).
	</div>		</div>
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	<div class="soldier-timeline-body">		<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
	* Born 7 September 1924 in Germany.		* Born 7 September 1924 in Germany.
			* June 1943 — Basic training with 62nd Infantry Battalion.
	* 5 January 1944 — Became naturalized U.		* 5 January 1944 — Became naturalized U.
	* 4 September 1944 — Promoted to S/Sgt.		* 4 September 1944 — Promoted to S/Sgt.
	* June 1943 — Basic training with 62nd Infantry Battalion.
	* Assigned to IPW team 155 attached to the First Army.		* Assigned to IPW team 155 attached to the First Army.
	* Drafted into Army at ___as Pvt (ASN: 38461724).		* Drafted into Army at ___as Pvt (ASN: 38461724).

	</div>		</div>
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Expand documented full name in infobox and lead

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:17, 20 September 2026
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	<div class="soldier-lead">		<div class="soldier-lead">
	'''[[Spiro, Herbert J. (38461724)\|Herbert John Spiro]]''' (1924–2010) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in [[:Category:Class 19\|class 19]] and served with [[Team IPW 155\|IPW Team 155]].		'''[[Spiro, Herbert John (38461724)\|Herbert John Spiro]]''' (1924–2010) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in [[:Category:Class 19\|class 19]] and served with [[Team IPW 155\|IPW Team 155]].
	</div>		</div>

Admin: Admin moved page Spiro, Herbert J. (38461724) to Spiro, Herbert John (38461724) without leaving a redirect: Expand documented middle name: John

2026-09-20T20:17:10Z

Admin moved page Spiro, Herbert J. (38461724) to Spiro, Herbert John (38461724) without leaving a redirect: Expand documented middle name: John

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:17, 20 September 2026
(No difference)

Admin: Link Camp Ritchie class and team mentions in lead/biography

2026-09-19T00:20:13Z

Link Camp Ritchie class and team mentions in lead/biography

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:20, 19 September 2026
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	<div class="soldier-lead">		<div class="soldier-lead">
	'''[[Spiro, Herbert J. (38461724)\|Herbert John Spiro]]''' (1924–2010) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 19 and served with IPW Team 155.		'''[[Spiro, Herbert J. (38461724)\|Herbert John Spiro]]''' (1924–2010) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in [[:Category:Class 19\|class 19]] and served with [[Team IPW 155\|IPW Team 155]].
	</div>		</div>

Admin: Sort Timeline chronologically; drop clear junk bullets

2026-09-15T03:44:40Z

Sort Timeline chronologically; drop clear junk bullets

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:44, 15 September 2026
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	<div class="soldier-timeline-body">		<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
	* Born 7 September 1924 in Germany.		* Born 7 September 1924 in Germany.
			* 5 January 1944 — Became naturalized U.
			* 4 September 1944 — Promoted to S/Sgt.
	* June 1943 — Basic training with 62nd Infantry Battalion.		* June 1943 — Basic training with 62nd Infantry Battalion.
	* 4 September 1944 — Promoted to S/Sgt.
	* 5 January 1944 — Became naturalized U.
	* Assigned to IPW team 155 attached to the First Army.		* Assigned to IPW team 155 attached to the First Army.
	* Drafted into Army at ___as Pvt (ASN: 38461724).		* Drafted into Army at ___as Pvt (ASN: 38461724).

	</div>		</div>
	</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>		</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

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 |death_date=6 April 2010
 |birth_place=Hamburg, Germany
-|death_place=San Antonio, Texas, United States
+|death_place=San Antonio in
 |education=Harvard University
 |occupation=Political scientist
@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 == Biography ==
-Born in Hamburg, Germany, where he attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium, he and his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution. In March 1944, Spiro attended ASTP at University of Illinois. Herbert attended San Antonio Junior College (1 year). Spiro was born in Hamburg, Germany to Jewish parents. He received his master's degree in 1950 and his Ph.D. In 1961, Spiro moved from Harvard to Amherst College, where he was Associate Professor of Political Science until 1965. Afterwards he joined the University of Pennsylvania as Professor of Political Science, where he remained until 1970. He later returned to academia as a professor at the Free University of Berlin. There, Spiro attended Brackenridge High School, and went on to San Antonio Junior College. After returning to the U.S., Spiro entered Harvard University. He served in the US Foreign Service as Ambassador to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, and taught at the Free University of Berlin. Herbert John Spiro (September 7, 1924 – April 6, 2010) was an American political scientist and diplomat. He and his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution. Formally an enemy alien, Spiro was not subject to the draft, but after naturalizing in 1944 he volunteered for a military intelligence position. He spent 1945 and 1946 as an administrative assistant to the United States Department of War, stationed in Vienna. He spent the following year in his native Germany as a Fulbright Fellow, and then returned to Harvard in 1954, where he continued as an instructor until 1957. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in political science in 1959, and lived in Rhodesia and the Central African Republic for the next year. He served with the United States Army in World War II. During the Ford administration, he served as United States Ambassador to Cameroon and to Equatorial Guinea, though the latter country declared him persona non grata. His family name is a corruption of Speyer, a town in the Rhineland which once had a significant Jewish community, but he reminisced that in the U.S. His father worked for a distribution firm. He attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium. He served with the 11th Armored Division and received the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster. There, he wrote his senior honors thesis on Marxist critiques of democracy, with William Yandell Elliott as his advisor. He then joined the Department of State as a member of the Policy Planning Staff. After returning to Texas, he ran for the U.S. He was survived by his sons Peter Spiro and Alexander Spiro, his ex-wife Elizabeth Spiro Clark, and four grandchildren. He died in San Antonio in 2010, and was buried at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
+Born in Hamburg, Germany, where he attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium, he and his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution. Spiro was born in Hamburg, Germany to Jewish parents.
 == Research notes ==

Admin: Add audited Dan Gross timeline enrichment

2026-09-01T12:51:05Z

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← Older revision		Revision as of 12:51, 1 September 2026
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	== Biography ==		== Biography ==
	Born in Hamburg, Germany, where he attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium, he and his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution. Herbert attended San Antonio Junior College (1 year). Spiro was born in Hamburg, Germany to Jewish parents. He received his master's degree in 1950 and his Ph.D. In 1961, Spiro moved from Harvard to Amherst College, where he was Associate Professor of Political Science until 1965. Afterwards he joined the University of Pennsylvania as Professor of Political Science, where he remained until 1970. He later returned to academia as a professor at the Free University of Berlin. There, Spiro attended Brackenridge High School, and went on to San Antonio Junior College. After returning to the U.S., Spiro entered Harvard University. He served in the US Foreign Service as Ambassador to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, and taught at the Free University of Berlin. Herbert John Spiro (September 7, 1924 – April 6, 2010) was an American political scientist and diplomat. He and his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution. Formally an enemy alien, Spiro was not subject to the draft, but after naturalizing in 1944 he volunteered for a military intelligence position. He spent 1945 and 1946 as an administrative assistant to the United States Department of War, stationed in Vienna~~. In 1953, with a doctoral dissertation on accountability in government~~. He spent the following year in his native Germany as a Fulbright Fellow, and then returned to Harvard in 1954, where he continued as an instructor until 1957. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in political science in 1959, and lived in Rhodesia and the Central African Republic for the next year. He served with the United States Army in World War II. During the Ford administration, he served as United States Ambassador to Cameroon and to Equatorial Guinea, though the latter country declared him persona non grata. His family name is a corruption of Speyer, a town in the Rhineland which once had a significant Jewish community, but he reminisced that in the U.S~~. It often led people to mistake him for a Greek American~~. His father worked for a distribution firm. He attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium. He served with the 11th Armored Division and received the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster. There, he wrote his senior honors thesis on Marxist critiques of democracy, with William Yandell Elliott as his advisor. He then joined the Department of State as a member of the Policy Planning Staff. After returning to Texas, he ran for the U.S. He was survived by his sons Peter Spiro and Alexander Spiro, his ex-wife Elizabeth Spiro Clark, and four grandchildren. He died in San Antonio in 2010, and was buried at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.		Born in Hamburg, Germany, where he attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium, he and his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution. In March 1944, Spiro attended ASTP at University of Illinois. Herbert attended San Antonio Junior College (1 year). Spiro was born in Hamburg, Germany to Jewish parents. He received his master's degree in 1950 and his Ph.D. In 1961, Spiro moved from Harvard to Amherst College, where he was Associate Professor of Political Science until 1965. Afterwards he joined the University of Pennsylvania as Professor of Political Science, where he remained until 1970. He later returned to academia as a professor at the Free University of Berlin. There, Spiro attended Brackenridge High School, and went on to San Antonio Junior College. After returning to the U.S., Spiro entered Harvard University. He served in the US Foreign Service as Ambassador to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, and taught at the Free University of Berlin. Herbert John Spiro (September 7, 1924 – April 6, 2010) was an American political scientist and diplomat. He and his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution. Formally an enemy alien, Spiro was not subject to the draft, but after naturalizing in 1944 he volunteered for a military intelligence position. He spent 1945 and 1946 as an administrative assistant to the United States Department of War, stationed in Vienna. He spent the following year in his native Germany as a Fulbright Fellow, and then returned to Harvard in 1954, where he continued as an instructor until 1957. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in political science in 1959, and lived in Rhodesia and the Central African Republic for the next year. He served with the United States Army in World War II. During the Ford administration, he served as United States Ambassador to Cameroon and to Equatorial Guinea, though the latter country declared him persona non grata. His family name is a corruption of Speyer, a town in the Rhineland which once had a significant Jewish community, but he reminisced that in the U.S. His father worked for a distribution firm. He attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium. He served with the 11th Armored Division and received the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster. There, he wrote his senior honors thesis on Marxist critiques of democracy, with William Yandell Elliott as his advisor. He then joined the Department of State as a member of the Policy Planning Staff. After returning to Texas, he ran for the U.S. He was survived by his sons Peter Spiro and Alexander Spiro, his ex-wife Elizabeth Spiro Clark, and four grandchildren. He died in San Antonio in 2010, and was buried at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

	== Research notes ==		== Research notes ==
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	<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">		<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
	<div class="soldier-timeline-body">		<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
			* Born 7 September 1924 in Germany.
	* June 1943 — Basic training with 62nd Infantry Battalion.		* June 1943 — Basic training with 62nd Infantry Battalion.
			* 4 September 1944 — Promoted to S/Sgt.
	* 5 January 1944 — Became naturalized U.		* 5 January 1944 — Became naturalized U.
	* Assigned to IPW team 155 attached to the First Army.		* Assigned to IPW team 155 attached to the First Army.
			* Drafted into Army at ___as Pvt (ASN: 38461724).
	</div>		</div>
	</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>		</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>

Admin: Add audited Dan Gross timeline enrichment

2026-09-01T03:37:01Z

Add audited Dan Gross timeline enrichment

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:37, 1 September 2026
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	== Biography ==		== Biography ==
	Born in Hamburg, Germany, where he attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium, he and his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution. Herbert attended San Antonio Junior College (1 year). Spiro was born in Hamburg, Germany to Jewish parents. He received his master's degree in 1950 and his Ph.D. In 1961, Spiro moved from Harvard to Amherst College, where he was Associate Professor of Political Science until 1965. Afterwards he joined the University of Pennsylvania as Professor of Political Science, where he remained until 1970. He later returned to academia as a professor at the Free University of Berlin. There, Spiro attended Brackenridge High School, and went on to San Antonio Junior College. After returning to the U.S., Spiro entered Harvard University. He served in the US Foreign Service as Ambassador to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, and taught at the Free University of Berlin. Herbert John Spiro (September 7, 1924 – April 6, 2010) was an American political scientist and diplomat. He and his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution. Formally an enemy alien, Spiro was not subject to the draft, but after naturalizing in 1944 he volunteered for a military intelligence position. He spent 1945 and 1946 as an administrative assistant to the United States Department of War, stationed in Vienna. in 1953, with a doctoral dissertation on accountability in government. He spent the following year in his native Germany as a Fulbright Fellow, and then returned to Harvard in 1954, where he continued as an instructor until 1957. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in political science in 1959, and lived in Rhodesia and the Central African Republic for the next year. He served with the United States Army in World War II. During the Ford administration, he served as United States Ambassador to Cameroon and to Equatorial Guinea, though the latter country declared him persona non grata. His family name is a corruption of Speyer, a town in the Rhineland which once had a significant Jewish community, but he reminisced that in the U.S. it often led people to mistake him for a Greek American. His father worked for a distribution firm. He attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium. He served with the 11th Armored Division and received the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster. There, he wrote his senior honors thesis on Marxist critiques of democracy, with William Yandell Elliott as his advisor. He then joined the Department of State as a member of the Policy Planning Staff. After returning to Texas, he ran for the U.S. He was survived by his sons Peter Spiro and Alexander Spiro, his ex-wife Elizabeth Spiro Clark, and four grandchildren. He died in San Antonio in 2010, and was buried at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.		Born in Hamburg, Germany, where he attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium, he and his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution. Herbert attended San Antonio Junior College (1 year). Spiro was born in Hamburg, Germany to Jewish parents. He received his master's degree in 1950 and his Ph.D. In 1961, Spiro moved from Harvard to Amherst College, where he was Associate Professor of Political Science until 1965. Afterwards he joined the University of Pennsylvania as Professor of Political Science, where he remained until 1970. He later returned to academia as a professor at the Free University of Berlin. There, Spiro attended Brackenridge High School, and went on to San Antonio Junior College. After returning to the U.S., Spiro entered Harvard University. He served in the US Foreign Service as Ambassador to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, and taught at the Free University of Berlin. Herbert John Spiro (September 7, 1924 – April 6, 2010) was an American political scientist and diplomat. He and his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution. Formally an enemy alien, Spiro was not subject to the draft, but after naturalizing in 1944 he volunteered for a military intelligence position. He spent 1945 and 1946 as an administrative assistant to the United States Department of War, stationed in Vienna. In 1953, with a doctoral dissertation on accountability in government. He spent the following year in his native Germany as a Fulbright Fellow, and then returned to Harvard in 1954, where he continued as an instructor until 1957. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in political science in 1959, and lived in Rhodesia and the Central African Republic for the next year. He served with the United States Army in World War II. During the Ford administration, he served as United States Ambassador to Cameroon and to Equatorial Guinea, though the latter country declared him persona non grata. His family name is a corruption of Speyer, a town in the Rhineland which once had a significant Jewish community, but he reminisced that in the U.S. It often led people to mistake him for a Greek American. His father worked for a distribution firm. He attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium. He served with the 11th Armored Division and received the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster. There, he wrote his senior honors thesis on Marxist critiques of democracy, with William Yandell Elliott as his advisor. He then joined the Department of State as a member of the Policy Planning Staff. After returning to Texas, he ran for the U.S. He was survived by his sons Peter Spiro and Alexander Spiro, his ex-wife Elizabeth Spiro Clark, and four grandchildren. He died in San Antonio in 2010, and was buried at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

	== Research notes ==		== Research notes ==
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	<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">		<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
	<div class="soldier-timeline-body">		<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
	* 6/1943 Basic training with 62nd Infantry Battalion.		* June 1943 — Basic training with 62nd Infantry Battalion.
	* 5 January 1944 — Became naturalized U.		* 5 January 1944 — Became naturalized U.
	* 19.
	* Assigned to IPW team 155 attached to the First Army.		* Assigned to IPW team 155 attached to the First Army.
	</div>		</div>

Admin: Restore prior biography prose (rev 69957) and weave timeline facts

2026-09-01T03:05:49Z

Restore prior biography prose (rev 69957) and weave timeline facts

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:05, 1 September 2026
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	== Biography ==		== Biography ==
	Born in Hamburg, Germany, where he attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium, he and his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution~~. In March 1944, he attended ASTP at University of Illinois~~. Herbert attended San Antonio Junior College (1 year). Spiro was born in Hamburg, Germany to Jewish parents. He received his master's degree in 1950 and his Ph.D. In 1961, Spiro moved from Harvard to Amherst College, where he was Associate Professor of Political Science until 1965. Afterwards he joined the University of Pennsylvania as Professor of Political Science, where he remained until 1970. He later returned to academia as a professor at the Free University of Berlin. There, Spiro attended Brackenridge High School, and went on to San Antonio Junior College. After returning to the U.S., Spiro entered Harvard University. He served in the US Foreign Service as Ambassador to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, and taught at the Free University of Berlin. Herbert John Spiro (September 7, 1924 – April 6, 2010) was an American political scientist and diplomat. He and his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution. Formally an enemy alien, Spiro was not subject to the draft, but after naturalizing in 1944 he volunteered for a military intelligence position. He spent 1945 and 1946 as an administrative assistant to the United States Department of War, stationed in Vienna. in 1953, with a doctoral dissertation on accountability in government. He spent the following year in his native Germany as a Fulbright Fellow, and then returned to Harvard in 1954, where he continued as an instructor until 1957. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in political science in 1959, and lived in Rhodesia and the Central African Republic for the next year. He served with the United States Army in World War II. During the Ford administration, he served as United States Ambassador to Cameroon and to Equatorial Guinea, though the latter country declared him persona non grata~~. In the early 1990s, he ran for state and then national office as a Republican from Texas, but was not elected~~. His family name is a corruption of Speyer, a town in the Rhineland which once had a significant Jewish community, but he reminisced that in the U.S. it often led people to mistake him for a Greek American. His father worked for a distribution firm. He attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium. He served with the 11th Armored Division and received the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster. There, he wrote his senior honors thesis on Marxist critiques of democracy, with William Yandell Elliott as his advisor. He then joined the Department of State as a member of the Policy Planning Staff. After returning to Texas, he ran for the U.S. He was survived by his sons Peter Spiro and Alexander Spiro, his ex-wife Elizabeth Spiro Clark, and four grandchildren. He died in San Antonio in 2010, and was buried at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.		Born in Hamburg, Germany, where he attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium, he and his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution. Herbert attended San Antonio Junior College (1 year). Spiro was born in Hamburg, Germany to Jewish parents. He received his master's degree in 1950 and his Ph.D. In 1961, Spiro moved from Harvard to Amherst College, where he was Associate Professor of Political Science until 1965. Afterwards he joined the University of Pennsylvania as Professor of Political Science, where he remained until 1970. He later returned to academia as a professor at the Free University of Berlin. There, Spiro attended Brackenridge High School, and went on to San Antonio Junior College. After returning to the U.S., Spiro entered Harvard University. He served in the US Foreign Service as Ambassador to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, and taught at the Free University of Berlin. Herbert John Spiro (September 7, 1924 – April 6, 2010) was an American political scientist and diplomat. He and his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, fleeing Nazi persecution. Formally an enemy alien, Spiro was not subject to the draft, but after naturalizing in 1944 he volunteered for a military intelligence position. He spent 1945 and 1946 as an administrative assistant to the United States Department of War, stationed in Vienna. in 1953, with a doctoral dissertation on accountability in government. He spent the following year in his native Germany as a Fulbright Fellow, and then returned to Harvard in 1954, where he continued as an instructor until 1957. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in political science in 1959, and lived in Rhodesia and the Central African Republic for the next year. He served with the United States Army in World War II. During the Ford administration, he served as United States Ambassador to Cameroon and to Equatorial Guinea, though the latter country declared him persona non grata. His family name is a corruption of Speyer, a town in the Rhineland which once had a significant Jewish community, but he reminisced that in the U.S. it often led people to mistake him for a Greek American. His father worked for a distribution firm. He attended the Wilhelm-Gymnasium. He served with the 11th Armored Division and received the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster. There, he wrote his senior honors thesis on Marxist critiques of democracy, with William Yandell Elliott as his advisor. He then joined the Department of State as a member of the Policy Planning Staff. After returning to Texas, he ran for the U.S. He was survived by his sons Peter Spiro and Alexander Spiro, his ex-wife Elizabeth Spiro Clark, and four grandchildren. He died in San Antonio in 2010, and was buried at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

	== Research notes ==		== Research notes ==