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Henry Julian Abraham
| Henry Julian Abraham | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 August 1921 Offenbach, Germany |
| Died | 26 February 2020 Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Awards | Army Commendation Medal |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 33425316 |
| Rank | Technician Fifth Grade |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 26 (3 January – 3 March 1945) |
| Section | 5B |
| Enlisted | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
|
| Army Commendation Medal |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Henry Julian Abraham (25 August 1921 – 26 February 2020) was a German-born United States Army Technician Fifth Grade who trained at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, in Class 26, and later became a leading scholar of the U.S. Supreme Court and constitutional law at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Virginia. Henry enlisted at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Henry Julian Abraham was born on 25 August 1921 in Offenbach, Germany, the son of Frederick and Liesel Kullman Abraham, in a Jewish family. In 1937, as the Nazi regime tightened its hold, he was sent to the United States to live with relatives. His father was arrested on Kristallnacht and held for two months in Dachau concentration camp. In 1939 Abraham was reunited with his parents and his brother Otto, and the family settled in Pittsburgh, where he graduated from high school that year. He worked as a general bookkeeper and managed the office of a scrap metal yard.
Abraham enlisted at Pittsburgh and in May 1943 entered the Army Specialized Training Program language course at Kenyon College. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen on 13 December 1943. In December 1944 he entered Camp Ritchie as a Technician Fifth Grade, and on 3 March 1945 he graduated with Class 26 (German). He was later promoted to staff sergeant. Fluent in German, French, and English, Abraham served as an enlisted man and later as an officer in U.S. Army intelligence in Western and Central Europe, earning two battle stars and the Commendation Medal.
After the war Abraham returned to Kenyon College, graduating first in his class in 1948 with highest honors in political science, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He earned an M.A. in public law and government from Columbia University in 1949 and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1952. He taught in Penn's Department of Political Science from 1949 to 1972 and then joined the University of Virginia, where he became James Hart Professor of Government. A pioneer of comparative judicial studies, he was a Fulbright scholar at the Universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus, where he helped establish Denmark's first department of political science, and he lectured widely abroad for the U.S. Information Agency. He wrote 13 books, most in several editions, including The Judicial Process, Freedom and the Court, and Justices, Presidents, Senators, along with more than 100 articles on the Supreme Court, judicial appointments, and civil rights and liberties. His students included Senator Arlen Specter and a number of federal and state judges.
Abraham's honors included the University of Virginia's Thomas Jefferson Award (1983) and the first Lifetime Achievement Award of the Law and Courts section of the American Political Science Association (1993), and former students established the Abraham Distinguished Lecture Series at the University of Virginia School of Law in 1997. He retired from full-time teaching in 1997, continued to teach in lifelong-learning programs in Charlottesville, and died there on 26 February 2020, emeritus professor at the University of Virginia.
Research notes[edit | edit source]
- Was S/Sgt
- also Officer ?
- Noted U. Va Law Professor
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 99 |
| Nara ASN | 33425316 |
| Nara Name | ABRAHAM HENRY J |
| Nara State | 2 |
| Nara County | 3 |
| Nara POE | 3298 |
| Nara DOE | 100243 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | BI |
| Nara Branch Code | 0 |
| Branch | Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA |
| 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 | 21 |
| Nara Race | J |
| Nara Race Description | White not yet a citizen |
| Nara Education | 5 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 101 |
| Nara Marital Status | 1 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 71 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 176 |
| Class_ASN | 33425316 |
| Class_Name | ABRAHAM, Henry J. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline[edit | edit source]
- 25 August 1921 — Born in Offenbach, Germany.
- 1937 — Sent to the United States to live with relatives.
- 1939 — Reunited with his family in Pittsburgh; graduated from high school.
- May 1943 — Entered the ASTP language program at Kenyon College.
- 13 December 1943 — Became naturalized citizen (5865072).
- December 1944 — Entered Camp Ritchie as T/5.
- 3 March 1945 — Graduated with Class 26 (German).
- 1948 — Graduated from Kenyon College, summa cum laude.
- 1952 — Received Ph.D. in political science from the University of Pennsylvania.
- 1972 — Joined the University of Virginia faculty.
- 1997 — Retired from full-time teaching.
- 26 February 2020 — Died in Charlottesville, Virginia.
- Promoted to S/Sgt.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Henry Abraham — Wikipedia
- 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)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Henry J. Abraham for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Abraham, Henry J. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: HENRY J. ABRAHAM.doc)