| Born: | 11-13-1898 |
| Faculty: | Philosophical School |
| Category: | Deprivation of academic degree |
Viktor Hans (von) BOSCHAN, born on November 13th, 1898 in Vienna as the son of Hofrat Arthur Heinrich Ritter von Boschan (1859-1920, chief engineer of the Kaiser Ferdinand Nordbahn) and Marie Agnes von Boschan, née Aschrott (1870-1926), attended the Schottengymnasium in Vienna's 1st district and passed his school-leaving examination (Matura) there in May 1916. From 1916 to 1918 he fought as a soldier in the k.u.k. Armee in the First World War. In November 1918 he disarmed as a lieutenant and immediately began to study chemistry with a minor in physics at the University of Vienna, earning a "Dr. phil." in chemistry from the Philosophical School of the University of Vienna on July 25th, 1921 (dissertation: "Zur Kenntnis der Quecksilber-Dialkyle und Diaryle").
He and his parents had left the Jewish community in March 1905 and converted to the Protestant A. B. confession and he married on September 8th, 1922 in Bad Voeslau/Lower Austria Elisabeth Adele von Pentig-Franz (1903-1940) with whom he had a daughter, Vera Marie Elisabeth von Boschan, later married von Zimmermann (1931-1979). They lived in Vienna's 3rd district, Jacquingasse 6, later in Vienna's 3rd district, Vordere Zollamtsstrasse 11/2/17 and he was one of the managers of the Swiss company Transalpina Industrie- und Handelsgesellschaft.
He was persecuted as a Jew under National Socialism and had to flee Austria. He was able to emigrate to Switzerland on May 20th, 1938, with his wife and daughter and they lived in Chateau des Renens sur Roche near Lausanne until they could leave for emigrating to British Columbia/Canada in April 1939. Before that, in September 1938, they even succeeded in becoming citizens of the Dominican Republic - this made it more difficult for the German Reich to confiscate their assets, since foreign property could not be expropriated so easily.
In times of Nazism all three were then deprived of their German citizenship in March 1941 and, as a legal consequence, the University of Vienna was also ordered to revoke his academic degree
On February 28th, 1942, he was deprived of his academic degree by the University of Vienna on racist grounds, as he was considered "as a Jew unworthy of an academic degree from a German university" ("eines akademischen Grades einer deutschen Hochschule unwuerdig") under National Socialism.
His brother-in-law, Judge Dr.iur. Egon Gallia (husband of his sister Annemarie), who had also graduated from the University of Vienna, was also deprived of his doctoral degree after his emigration to England.
It was not until 13 years after the deprivation and long after the end of National Socialism that the doctoral degree was regranted took place on May 15th, 1955, respectively the deprivation was declared "null and void from the beginning."
Hans (Jean, John) Boschan's first wife Elisabeth had already died in 1940 in Vancouver and he married Mildred Dietrich in April 1943 (divorce in late 1944). In 1944, John Boschan and daughter Vera received British citizenship. In 1955 he entered into a third marriage with Hilversum/The Netherlands born Hester Hejibroeck (Heybrock) (1912-1997) in Cloverdale, Vancouver.
Dr. John (Hans Viktor) de Boschan died on May 15th, 1983 in White Rock, British Columbia/Canada.
Lit.: Archives of the University of Vienna/final examination file & registry ("Rigorosenakt und -protokoll") PHIL RA 5085, graduation registry ("Promotionsprotokoll") PHIL 1913-1922 Nr. 1227, Rectorate GZ 1635 ex 1939/40/41, GZ 1695 ex 1939/40/41, GZ 561 ex 1944/45 ONr. 15; Austrian State Archives OeStA/AdR/ E-uReang/ FLD 15059, OeStA/AdR/E-uReang/VVSt/VA 66249, OeStA/AdR/E-uReang/Hilfsfonds/Abgeltungsfonds 5991; Deutscher Reichsanzeiger No. 50, February 28th, 1941; POSCH 2009, 396; POSCH/STADLER 2005; GAUGUSCH 2011, 289; Marie-Theres ARNBOM, Die Villen von Poetzleinsdorf: Wenn Haeuser Geschichten erzaehlen, Vienna 2020, 211-215; matricula.eu: Trauungsbuch Pfarre Bad Vöslau 1911-1925, fol. 226.
Herbert Posch
