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J. Hans Lehmann papers and oral history interview, 1936-1996
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Lehmann, J. H. (J. Hans), 1911-
- Title
- J. Hans Lehmann papers and oral history interview
- Dates
- 1936-1996 (inclusive)19361995
- Quantity
- 4.08 cubic feet (5 boxes) plus 1 vertical file and 1 sound cassette
- Collection Number
- 3640
- Summary
- An oral history interview (audio and transcript), correspondence, photographs, awards, and related material which document his early years in the U.S. and his efforts to bring his family from Germany to the U.S.; his year in Africa with the medical ship S.S. Hope in 1963; the Seattle-Perugia Sister City project, which he founded; his relationship with the University of Washington.
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Open to all users.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
J. Hans Lehmann (1911-1996) was born in Barsinghausen, Germany to middle class Jewish parents. Due to the fact that they lived in Northern Germany, a region where Jewish people held allegience to the Hannoverian monarchy, he and his family were mostly shielded from growing anti-Semitism following World War II. In 1930, Lehmann attended the University of Heidelberg. It was here where he began to experience open anti-Semitism in 1932 after Hitler had become Chancellor. His lecture hall had a sign saying that Jewish students must sit in the back, an experience that Lehmann would recall in his memoir A time out of joint. To escape this enviornment, he transferred to the Universita de Stanieri in Perugia, Italy, where he obtained a medical degree, at a time of which the anti-Semitism of Germany had not spread. Knowing that the situation in Europe was becoming unsafe, he began working to flee with his family to America, obtaining a visa and the money necessary. He had to bribe officials in order to board a transatlantic steamship at Hamburg. Lehmann arrived at Ellis Island on March 30, 1936. He experienced difficulty in obtaining a job, as he did not have an American medical license and had limited English skills. However, his ablility to speak Italian enabled him to get a job at a small ethnic hospital. This would take him to Philadephia and later to Seattle. Lehmann soon felt convicted to serve in the Army Medical Corps. In March of 1945, he visited his hometown of Barsinghausen to learn that most of the people that he knew had perished in the Holocaust. After the war, he returned to America an adopted two sons with his wife, Thelma Gertsman. He opened a medical practiced in Ballard, going on to become faculty at the University of Washington School of Medicine. In addition to his successful medical career, Lehmann was active in the arts in Seattle. Such ventures include earning a seat on the Seattle Symphony Board of Trustees, as well as 14 years of serving the Seattle Arts Commission and 9 years on the Seattle Center Commission. Him and his wife would later organize arts programming for the Seattle World's Fair in 1962. Despite such community involvment, he found time to serve on the University of Washington's Board of Regents (1977-1983).
-HistoryLink.org Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History, "Lehmann, J. Hans (1911-1996)" (by Walt Crowley), www.historylink.org (accessed August 31, 2020).
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
An oral history interview (audio and transcript), correspondence, photographs, awards, and related material which document his early years in the U.S. and his efforts to bring his family from Germany to the U.S.; his year in Africa with the medical ship S.S. Hope in 1963; the Seattle-Perugia Sister City project, which he founded; his relationship with the University of Washington.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Alternative Forms Available
Listen to the audio recording and view the transcript of this interview on the Libraries' Digital Collections site.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Organized into 3 accessions.
- Accession No. 3640-001, J. Hans Lehmann oral history interview, 1985
- Accession No. 3640-002, J. Hans Lehmann papers, 1936-1995
- Accession No. 3640-003, J. Hans Lehmann papers, 1943-1996
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Accession No. 3640-001: J. Hans Lehmann oral history interview, 1985Return to Top
Scope and Content: Tape-recorded interview, 1/13/85 and transcript, conducted by Eric Offenbacher. Dr. Lehmann tells of being raised in Barsinghausen, Germany, where during his early education he experienced little prejudice. When Lehmann encountered prejudice in Munich, halfway through medical school, he transferred to Italy and finished there. He tells of the circumstances that allowed him to come to the United States and take an internship position in Seattle. He later took over the private practice of a Norwegian doctor in Ballard. He served as an officer in the United States Army during WWII. His specialization in cardiology coincided with the opening of the U.W. Medical School in 1947. He tells of his marriage to Thelma Gerstman. They had two sons. Although he supported numerous Jewish causes he was most active in Ballard, the community where he practiced. He was a founding father of Ballard Hospital. He described himself as a universal person.
Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Info: Donated by J. Hans Lehmann.
Description |
---|
J. Hans Lehmann oral history interview |
Accession No. 3640-002: J. Hans Lehmann papers, 1936-1995Return to Top
Scope and Content: Correspondence, photographs, awards, and related material which document his early years in the U.S. and his efforts to bring his family from Germany to the U.S.; his year in Africa with the medical ship S.S. Hope in 1963; the Seattle-Perugia Sister City project, which he founded; his relationship with the University of Washington. Span dates of the accession are ca. 1936-1995.
Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Description |
---|
J. Hans Lehmann papers |
Accession No. 3640-003: J. Hans Lehmann papers, 1943-1996Return to Top
Scope and Content: Letters, clippings, photographs, personal documents, memorabilia; ca. 1943-1945, 1965-1996.
Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Description |
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J. Hans Lehmann papers |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Hospital ships--Guinea
- Immigrants--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Jewish college teachers--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Jewish physicians--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Jews--Germany--Barsinghausen
- Jews--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Medical colleges--Washington (State)--Seattle--Faculty
- Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
- Sister cities
Personal Names
- Lehmann, J. H. (J. Hans), 1911- --Interviews
- Lehmann, J. H. (J. Hans), 1911---Archives
Corporate Names
- University of Washington. School of Medicine--Faculty
Geographical Names
- Perugia (Italy)--Relations--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Seattle (Wash.)--Relations--Italy--Perugia
Other Creators
-
Corporate Names
- Washington State Jewish Archives (University of Washington) (curator)