Agathe Krasny (geb. Tochten)

Born:	05-08-1888
Faculty:	Philosophical School
Category:	Deprivation of academic degree

Agathe KRASNY (née TOCHTEN) (born on May 8^th, 1888 in Eiwanowitz, Moravia/Austro-Hungarian Empire [Ivanovice na Hané/Czech Republic]), had graduated at the Philosophical School at the University of Vienna in German language and literature Studies on June 30^th, 1911 with the academic degree "Dr. phil." (dissertation: "Konkurrenz vom alten iu und u"). Dr. Agathe Tochten married the mining engineer Ing. Otto Krasny (1888-1942) from Maehrisch-Ostrau [Ostrava/Czech Republic] on August 5^th, 1914 in the temple in Vienna's 2^nd district, Tempelgasse - he became a member of the Masonic Lodge B'nai Brith in Vienna on March 1^st, 1922. She and her husband lived in Vienna's 19^th district, Fuerfanggasse 5. They were persecuted as Jews in National Socialism and had to flee Vienna after the "Anschluss".
They were able to emigrate to the USA via England in time. After obtaining an entry visa at the U.S. Embassy in London on March 18^th, 1939, they traveled from Southampton, England, on May 4^th, 1939, on the SS Ile de France to the U.S., arriving in New York City, NY, on May 11^th, 1939. After a few weeks they moved on to San Francisco, CA, where they lived and worked for the rest of their lives. Thereupon, both were expatriated by the German Reich (Ausbuergerungsliste No. 111, announced in the Deutscher Reichsanzeiger on August 6^th, 1941), thus becoming stateless and their property was confiscated in favor of the German Reich. On July 14^th, 1942, as a legal consequence, Dr. Agathe Krasny was also deprived of her academic degree with the racist argument, that she as a Jew was not considered dignified an academic degree of a German university ("eines akademischen Grades einer deutschen Hochschule unwuerdig"). Her husband died, only 54 years old, on December 23, 1942, but Agathe Krasny became a U.S. citizen on August 21, 1944 in San Francisco, CA.

Agathe Krasny, née Tochten, died on January 5, 1954 in San Francisco, CA/USA and is buried at Hills of Eternity Memorial Park Cemetery in Colma, San Mateo County, CA/USA.

It was not until 1 year after her death, 13 years after the deprivation and a very long time since the end of Nazism until the regranting of the doctorate took finally place on May 15^th, 1955 - the revocation was declared "null and void from the beginning".

Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/graduation register ("Promotionsprotokoll") PHIL 1905–1911 No 1069, final examination files and registry ("Rigorosenakt und -protokoll") PHIL 3088, rectorate GZ 118 ex 1941/42 No 65, GZ 561 ex 1944/45 No 15; Austrian State Archives OeStA/ AdR/ E-uReang/ FLD 14560, OeStA/ AdR/ E-uReang/ VVSt/ VA/ 61681; Deutscher Reichsanzeiger, Nr. 181, August 6^th, 1941; POSCH 2009, 439; www.genteam.at www.ancestry.de.

Herbert Posch