Margarethe Erna Kotrnetz (geb. Kelsen (Kohn))

Born:	03-26-1907
Faculty:	Medical School | Medical University Vienna
Category:	Deprivation of academic degree

Margarethe Erna KOTRNETZ (nee KELSEN (KOHN)) (born on March 26th, 1907 in Vienna), had graduated at the Medical School at the University of Vienna  on March 17th, 1932 with the academic degree 'Dr. med.'.

After the "Anschluss" Margarete Kotrnetz emigrated together with her husband Hans A. Kotrnetz, to the USA in 1938.
In times of Nazism she was deprived of her academic degree on February 17th, 1944 with the racist argument, that she - as her husband - as a Jew was not considered dignified an academic degree of a German university ('eines akademischen Grades einer deutschen Hochschule unwürdig').  

It took 11 years since the deprivation – and a very long time since the end of Nazism – until the regranting of the doctorate took finally place on May 15th, 1955.

Margarete Kotrnetz died in 1993 and was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Herkimer, New York.

Lit.: photo of the grave; biografiA; Lutz Elija POPPER, Briefe aus einer versinkenden Welt 1938/1939, Oberwart 2008, 60-73.

Katharina Kniefacz