Stefan Meyer
| Born: |
04-27-1872 |
| Faculty: |
Philosophical School |
| Category: |
Expelled teacher |
Stefan MEYER (born on April 27th, 1872 in Vienna as the son of Dr. Gotthelf Karl Meyer and his wife Clara Regine Goldschmidt, died on December 29th, 1949 in Bad Ischl) was o. Prof. for Physik at the Philosophical School of the University of Vienna.
After Meyer had studied physics and chemistry at the University and at the Technical High School in Vienna, he was graduated 'Dr.phil.' at the University of Vienna in in 1896. Subsequently he became assistant of Ludwig Boltzmann. In 1899 he qualified as a lecturer ('Privatdozent') of physics and taught acoustics at the Vienna Conservatory from 1902 to 1911. In 1907 he started to work at the Second Department of Physics at the University of Vienna, was awarded the title of an 'ao. Professor' (1907). In 1911 he was appointed ao. professor and in 1920 full professor ('o. Prof.') of Physics. Since 1910, Meyer was head of the Institute for Radium Research of the Academy of Sciences. He is considered one of the pioneers of the study of radioactivity, e.g. together with Egon Schweidler he wrote the the publication "Radioaktivität" (1916).
He was persecuted in times of Nazism as a Jew, lost his position and was thrown out of the university in 1938. His daughter
Agathe Meyer, who studied chemistry at the philosophical school and passed her first Rigorosum in spring term 1938, was also expelled from the University of Vienna as his son
Friedrich Meyer from the law school. Stefan Meyers brother Hans Leopold Meyer, since 1911 o. Prof. of chemistry at the German University in Prague, was deported to Ghetto Theresienstadt together with his wife Dr. Alice Meyer on June 20th, 1942, where he died on November 28th, 1942.
Stefan Meyer and his family moved to their summer house in Bad Ischl in 1938, where they survived World War II (his son
Fred Meyer could flee to England). After the war he returned to the Radiuminstitut and taught as a honorary professor at the University of Vienna from December 1st, 1946, until his retirement in 1947. Then he returned to Bad Ischl, where he died in 1949.
Lit.: Collection Stefan Meyer, Archiv des Instituts für Radiumforschung der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften (content of collection [pdf]); CZEIKE Vol. 4 1995; DEGENER 1935; EMÖDI/TEICHL 1937; Gedenkbuch für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus an der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften; KILLY Vol. 7 1998; ÖBL Vol. 6 1975; Wolfgang L. REITER, Stefan Meyer: Pioneer of Radioactivity, in: Physics in Perspectives 3 (2001) 106-127; Wolfgang L. REITER, Stefan Meyer und die Radioaktivitätsforschung in Österreich, in: Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Anzeiger der phil.-hist. Klasse, 135. Jg. (2000), 105-143; Wolfgang L. REITER, Wissenschaftsemigration am Beispiel des Instituts für Radiumforschung, in: STADLER II 2004 [1988], 709-729, hier bes. 711-715; TEICHL 1951; Katharina Maximiliane ZELGER, Stefan Meyer und die Frauen: Kooperationsverhältnisse am Wiener Institut für Radiumforschung 1910 – 1938, phil. Dipl.Arb., Universität Wien, 2008.
Katharina Kniefacz
