Walter M. Goldschmidt Papers

Collection

Identifier: WUA-06-wua00510

Staff Only

Walter Goldschmidt during World War II

The Walter M. Goldschmidt Papers includes approximately 400 letters written by Goldschmidt to his parents, Herman and Gertie Goldschmidt, during his time in the European Civil Affairs Division, 1943-1946, in England, France, Belgium and Germany. Topics of note include a visit to the Goldschmidt hometown in Biebesheim, Germany, the concentration camp in Flossenbürg, Germany, and finding the parents of Fred Katz in Brussels. (Katz was living with Goldschmidt's parents in Chicago after fleeing Nazi-occupied Belgium.) The collection also includes digital photographs of a scrapbook assembled by Herman documenting Walter’s service and an interview with Walter discussing his life from leaving Germany until the end of World War II.

Digitized PDF scans of Series 1: Correspondence are available here.

Dates

Creation: 1943-2006

Creator

Goldschmidt, Walter M., October 15, 1922 - July 9, 2007 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Open

Conditions Governing Use

Users of the collection must read and agree to abide by the rules and procedures set forth in the Materials Use Policies.

Providing access to materials does not constitute permission to publish or otherwise authorize use. All publication not covered by fair use or other exceptions is restricted to those who have permission of the copyright holder, which may or may not be Washington University.

If you wish to publish or license Special Collections materials, please contact Special Collections to inquire about copyright status at (314) 935-5495 or spec@wumail.wustl.edu. (Publish means quotation in whole or in part in seminar or term papers, theses or dissertations, journal articles, monographs, books, digital forms, photographs, images, dramatic presentations, transcriptions, or any other form prepared for a limited or general public.)

Extent

6 linear feet

7 boxes

Additional Description

Biographical Information

Walter M. Goldschmidt (October 15, 1922-July 9, 2007) was an executive with Continental Grain Co. The son of Hermann (later spelled Herman) and Gördi (later known as Gertie) Goldschmidt, he spent his childhood in Biebesheim, Germany, with his sister, Elsa Spitz. In 1936, the family immigrated to the United States, in response to the increasing persecution of Jews. Eventually settling in Chicago, Illinois, Walter graduated from Hyde Park High School.

In 1943, Walter was drafted in to the Army and he used fluency in German to serve as a translator in the European Civil Affairs Division. After his discharge from the Army in 1946, Walter worked for Continental Grain. In the early 1970s, he assisted in establishing a futures brokerage division of Continental Grain, ContiCommodity Services. He was a director of the Board of Trade in Chicago from 1971-1976 and he was on the committee that developed financial futures trading.

Walter married Karla Ebstein. The couple had three children including twins, James Goldschmidt and Jane (Jerry) Deal, and Susan Goldschmidt (Miles Taub). He died of renal failure.