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Emil Abel

Born: 06-02-1875
Faculty: Philosophical School
Category: Expelled teacher
Emil ABEL (born on June 2nd, 1875 in Vienna, died on April 3rd, 1958 in London) was lecturer ('Privatdozent') for Chemistry (Physical Chemistry) at the Philosophical School of the University of Vienna and Professor of Physical Chemistry at the Technical High School (Technical University). He was persecuted in times of Nazism as a Jew lost his position and was thrown out of the University of Vienna and of the Technical University of Vienna in 1938. His son Stefan Abel, who studied at the Law School, was also expelled from the University of Vienna in 1938.
After a failled attemp to escape in 1938 Emil Abel was able to emigrate to London/Great Britain in March 1939. Until 1940 he worked as a research chemist of the Palestine Potash Ltd. at the University College in London, then he became head of the Research Departments of the Ever Ready Company Litd., a manufacturer of dry-cell batteries. In 1946 he was naturalized and became a British citizen, in 1948 he retired. In 1949 he was honored with the 'Golden Diploma' of the Technical School of Vienna and was a guest lecturer until he died.


Lit.: DEICHMANN 2001, 115, 118, 197; Gedenkbuch für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus an der Österreichischen Akademie der WissenschaftenEBNER/MIKOLETZKY/WIESER 2017, 79.

Herbert Posch

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