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John W. Kluge
| John W. Kluge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | John Werner Kluge |
| Born | 21 September 1914 Chemnitz, German Empire (today Chemnitz, Germany) |
| Died | 7 September 2010 Charlottesville, Virginia, United States |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Known for | Chairman, Metromedia |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Arm / service | Transportation Corps |
| ASN | 01577435 |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 7 (15 April – 12 June 1943) |
| Section | 8 |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
John Werner Kluge (September 21, 1914September 7, 2010) was a German-American entrepreneur who became a television industry mogul in the United States. He was the founder and chairman of Metromedia. At one time he was the richest person in the U.S.
Biography
Kluge was born in 1914 to a Presbyterian family in Chemnitz, Germany, and emigrated to the United States in 1922.
degree in economics from Columbia University in 1937. Kluge went to Wayne State University for two years and earned his B.A. The author, Simona Tobia of the University College, London, describes the interrogation techniques that were taught in the UK and at Camp Ritchie, and how effective it was to use emigres from Germany and other AXIS occupied countries to gather human intelligence (HUMINT) by interrogating captured soldiers close to the fronts.
In 1983, Kluge received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. Patricia Kluge kept their Albemarle estate in the 1990 divorce settlement converting it into an award-winning vineyard and winery which opened in 1999. John Werner Kluge (September 21, 1914September 7, 2010) was a German-American entrepreneur who became a television industry mogul in the United States.
He had homes in New Rochelle, New York, Virginia and Palm Beach, Florida with his fourth wife, Maria Tussi Kluge, at the time of his death in 2010. She took out $65 million in loans and mortgaged the mansion to finance production expansion and a related real-estate venture, but defaulted and declared bankruptcy in 2011. I found this research study published in 2015 in Rubrica Contemporanea, Vol.
He was the founder and chairman of Metromedia. At one time he was the richest person in the U.S. He was of Scots-Irish, English, and German heritage.
During World War II, Kluge served at the secret P.O. Box 1142 interrogation facility outside of Washington, D.C. Kluge was a collector of contemporary Indigenous Australian art, and owned works by prominent artists including Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri.
Kluge was married four times. His first wife was Theodora Thomson Townsend, his second was Yolanda Galardo Zucco, his third was Patricia Maureen Rose, and his fourth was Maria Tussi Kuttner. Kluge had three children, Joseph (whom he adopted), Samantha (with Zucco) and John Jr.
He also had three step children who remained a part of his life until his death: Diane, Jeannette Brophy and Peter Lockwood Townsend. 8, a Journal of the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. Close Encounters: The Role of Culture in Interrogation and Questioning in the Second World War.
The article provides some insights into the work of a couple of Ritchie Boys, John Kluge and Gerd Miller (?).
Research notes
- Also Class 5 OB MIRS
- Metromedia owner; billionaire philanthropist
- Portrait and summary from Notable Ritchie Boys slides (source).
Gallery
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 96 |
| Class_ASN | 577435 |
| Class_Name | KLUGE, John W. |
| match_method | asn_partial_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Sources
- Wikipedia: John Kluge
- Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
- 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 2017-09-03 (1 post)