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Scheuer, Paul J. (31431249): Difference between revisions

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|death_date=12 January 2003
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|birth_place=Heilbronn, Germany
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== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Paul was born in 1915 in the city of Heilbronn, Germany, and emigrated to the United States in 1938 and graduated from Northeastern University, Boston, with a B.S.
Paul J. Scheuer was born in 1915 in Heilbronn, Germany. After graduating first in his Realgymnasium class in 1934, Nazi racial laws barred university study. He apprenticed in leather tanneries in Germany and Hungary, where a chemist mentor drew him toward chemistry, then worked briefly in Yugoslavia and England before immigrating to New York in mid-October 1938. He earned a B.S. in chemistry from Northeastern University in April 1943 and began Harvard graduate work under R. B. Woodward.


In Chemistry in 1943, His graduate studies at Harvard, interrupted by service in the U.S. Scheuer received his PhD in chemistry in 1950 under the GI Bill, and joined the University of Hawai'i faculty that year. Paul Scheuer studied chemistry at Northeastern University in Boston.
Army service interrupted his studies. Assigned first to the Chemical Warfare Service, Scheuer became a U.S. citizen while at Edgewood Arsenal, then transferred in January 1945 to Camp Ritchie (Class 26). Flown to Paris days before VE Day, he served about fourteen months as a special agent with Third Army headquarters in Bavaria, including temporary duty at the Nuremberg war-crimes trials, before returning home in 1946.


He was later drafted into the US Army where he was assigned to the Chemical Warfare Service.
Under the G.I. Bill Scheuer completed a Harvard Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1950 and joined the University of Hawaiʻi chemistry faculty that year. He built a pioneering marine natural-products research program, directed dozens of graduate students, and retired as professor emeritus in 1985. He died on 12 January 2003.
 
In January 1945, Scheuer was transferred to Camp Ritchie for military intelligence training. By January of 1945, Paul had left the Chemical Warfare Service and was assigned for training in military intelligence to Camp Ritchie,|Maryland.
 
In December of 1941, the United States entered the war and everybody’s life changed. Paul's research during the fall semester of 1943 consisted of many unsuccessful attempts to add ketene to alpha-vinylpyridine, probably in connection with the synthesis of quinine. In organic chemistry in 1950.
 
As a German national, Paul was an enemy alien and had a few travel restrictions. Paul's spectacular chemical experience was the firing of WP (white phosphorus) shells from 4.2” chemical mortars in the Alabama hills. Paul had a long and distinguished career as a chemist.
 
He served in Europe at the 3rd Army headquarters in Bavaria, and became a special agent assigned to the Nuremberg trials. He was the author of 13 books on the subject of Marine Natural Products, chemical compounds produced by marine organisms, and was also the recipient of numerous awards. Another distinguished who didn't make Dan Gross' list of Notable.
 
Like everybody else, he registered for the draft, but was rejected, when was first called.
 
Paul passed away on January 12, 2003.


== Research notes ==
== Research notes ==
* Nuremberg
* Nuremberg
* Nazi Millionaires
* Nazi Millionaires
* Regenerated from Scheuer’s first-person career narrative. Chemistry prizes are postwar academic honors, not Army awards, and are omitted from the awards tuple.


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
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| row_source || both
| row_source || both
|}
|}
== Timeline ==
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline">
<div class="soldier-timeline-body">
* 1915 — Born in Heilbronn, Germany.
* 1934 — Graduated from the Heilbronn Realgymnasium.
* 1935–1938 — Apprenticed in tanneries in Hungary, Yugoslavia, and England.
* October 1938 — Immigrated to the United States.
* April 1943 — Graduated from Northeastern University with a B.S. in chemistry.
* 1943–1944 — Began Harvard graduate study; Chemical Warfare Service duty.
* January 1945 — Assigned to Camp Ritchie military-intelligence training (Class 26).
* May 1945–June 1946 — Served with Third Army in Bavaria, including temporary duty at Nuremberg.
* 1950 — Received a Harvard Ph.D. and joined the University of Hawaiʻi faculty.
* 1985 — Retired as professor emeritus.
* 12 January 2003 — Died.
</div>
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook material and live roster vitals for Class 26 / death date
* RB Archive reprint of Paul J. Scheuer’s autobiographical essay in ''The Chemical Intelligencer'' (1997)
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_J._Scheuer Wikipedia: Paul J. Scheuer]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_J._Scheuer Wikipedia: Paul J. Scheuer]
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data

Latest revision as of 23:26, 16 September 2026

Paul J. Scheuer
Paul J. Scheuer
Personal details
Born1915
Heilbronn, Germany
Died12 January 2003
NativityGermany
ReligionJewish
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch United States Army
ASN31431249
RankPrivate
Camp RitchieClass 26 (3 January – 3 March 1945)
Section4D
EnlistedBoston, Massachusetts
Research notes on this page are compiled from the source file and later edits. They may be unverified, incomplete, or incorrect, and should not be treated as established fact. Please correct the article or add sources on the talk page. For class-roster terms, see About the data.
Sources & confidence: Treat Research notes as leads, not settled fact. Prefer NARA, the class roster, newspapers, Find a Grave, or published histories for contested claims. Mark unsourced claims with {{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.


Paul J. Scheuer (1915 – 12 January 2003) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 26.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Paul J. Scheuer was born in 1915 in Heilbronn, Germany. After graduating first in his Realgymnasium class in 1934, Nazi racial laws barred university study. He apprenticed in leather tanneries in Germany and Hungary, where a chemist mentor drew him toward chemistry, then worked briefly in Yugoslavia and England before immigrating to New York in mid-October 1938. He earned a B.S. in chemistry from Northeastern University in April 1943 and began Harvard graduate work under R. B. Woodward.

Army service interrupted his studies. Assigned first to the Chemical Warfare Service, Scheuer became a U.S. citizen while at Edgewood Arsenal, then transferred in January 1945 to Camp Ritchie (Class 26). Flown to Paris days before VE Day, he served about fourteen months as a special agent with Third Army headquarters in Bavaria, including temporary duty at the Nuremberg war-crimes trials, before returning home in 1946.

Under the G.I. Bill Scheuer completed a Harvard Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1950 and joined the University of Hawaiʻi chemistry faculty that year. He built a pioneering marine natural-products research program, directed dozens of graduate students, and retired as professor emeritus in 1985. He died on 12 January 2003.

Research notes[edit | edit source]

  • Nuremberg
  • Nazi Millionaires
  • Regenerated from Scheuer’s first-person career narrative. Chemistry prizes are postwar academic honors, not Army awards, and are omitted from the awards tuple.

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Technical record[edit | edit source]

Field Imported value
Approx Age at Death 88
Nara ASN 31431249
Nara Name SCHEUER PAUL J
Nara State 13
Nara County 25
Nara POE 1306
Nara DOE 250144
Nara Grade Alpha PVT
Nara Grade Code 8
Nara Branch Alpha NO
Nara Branch Code 2
Branch No branch assignment
Nara Term or Enlistment 5
Term of enlistment Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
Defer. Date 0
Nara Source 0
Nara Nativity N1
Nara Year of Birth 15
Nara Race J
Nara Race Description White not yet a citizen
Nara Education 7
Nara Civilian Occupation 31
Nara Marital Status 6
Nara Height (inches) 0
Nara Weight (lbs) 1
Class_ASN 31431249
Class_Name SCHEUER, Paul J.
match_method asn_exact_name_exact
row_source both

Timeline[edit | edit source]

  • 1915 — Born in Heilbronn, Germany.
  • 1934 — Graduated from the Heilbronn Realgymnasium.
  • 1935–1938 — Apprenticed in tanneries in Hungary, Yugoslavia, and England.
  • October 1938 — Immigrated to the United States.
  • April 1943 — Graduated from Northeastern University with a B.S. in chemistry.
  • 1943–1944 — Began Harvard graduate study; Chemical Warfare Service duty.
  • January 1945 — Assigned to Camp Ritchie military-intelligence training (Class 26).
  • May 1945–June 1946 — Served with Third Army in Bavaria, including temporary duty at Nuremberg.
  • 1950 — Received a Harvard Ph.D. and joined the University of Hawaiʻi faculty.
  • 1985 — Retired as professor emeritus.
  • 12 January 2003 — Died.

Sources[edit | edit source]

  • Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook material and live roster vitals for Class 26 / death date
  • RB Archive reprint of Paul J. Scheuer’s autobiographical essay in The Chemical Intelligencer (1997)
  • Wikipedia: Paul J. Scheuer
  • Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
  • Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
  • NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
  • 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
  • Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2019-11-18 (1 post)
  • Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2023-03-02 (1 post)
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