| Born: | 11-10-1885 |
| Faculty: | Medical School | Medical University Vienna |
| Category: | Deprivation of academic degree |
Marianne Melitta BAUER (nee JOKL), born on November 10th, 1885 in Kremsier, Moravia/Austro-Hungarian Empire [Kroměříž, Czech Republic]), had graduated at the Philosophical School at the University of Vienna in Romance languages and literature studies on May 20th, 1910 and gained the academic degree "Dr.phil." (dissertation: "Ueber die Synthax des lothringischen Dialekts"). She also graduated at the Medical School at the University of Vienna on July 13th, 1915 with the academic degree "Dr.med.univ.".
Even before her second doctorate, she married the internist Dr. Julius Bauer (1887–1979) in 1912, obtained her own doctorate in 1915 and in 1917 and 1919 her two sons Franz Bauer (1917–1976) and Klaus Friedrich Bauer (1919–?) were born. In 1924 Marianne Melitta Bauer-Jokl joined the Vienna Medical Association, specialized in dermatology and, together with her husband Julius Bauer, who had been a private lecturer since 1919 and tit.ao.Prof. from 1926, ran her own medical practice in Vienna's 9th district, Mariannengasse 15, researching and publishing both independently and together with her husband. From 1909 she was the first vice-chairwoman of the Vienna Academic Women's Association, vice-president of the International Women's Medical Association, president of the Organization of Viennese Women Doctors (ÖAW) and chairwoman of the Organization of Austrian Women Doctors (OAÖ).
Thanks to her internationally networked activities, Melitta Bauer-Jokl also had numerous contacts abroad in 1938. When she had to flee Vienna as a Jew after the "Anschluss" and the seizure of power by National Socialism, French colleagues were able to help her and her family with visas to leave the country in time and escape the racist persecution by National Socialism. On April 15th, 1938, she was able to emigrate with her husband and the younger son Klaus Frederick to Paris/France and from there via Cherbourg on the SS Queen Mary to the U.S., where they arrived in New York City, NY, on December 15th, 1938. Their elder son Franz had managed to emigrate to Switzerland in time to continue and complete his almost finished medical studies at the University of Geneva, which he had been forced to abandon at the University of Vienna. He then also emigrated to the USA.
Melitta Bauer moved with her family from New York to New Orleans, Louisiana, at the beginning of 1939, where her husband had found a job at Louisiana State University. In 1941, the family moved to Los Angeles, CA, due to Julius Bauer's new position as a clinical professor at Loma Linda University.
Therefor they were deprived of their citizenship on August 30th, 1941. In consequence they both were also deprived of their academic degrees - she already on July 14th, 1942, he on April 1st, 1943 -, with the racist argument, that they as jews were not considered dignified an academic degree of a German university ("eines akademischen Grades einer deutschen Hochschule unwuerdig").
Due to her successful emigration, the German Reich revoked her, her husband and her eldest son's German citizenship on August 30th, 1941 and expropriated all their assets in favour of the Third Reich. As a legal consequence, the Berlin Reich Ministry of Education also demanded that the University of Vienna strip Melitta Bauer and her husband Julius of their academic degrees, as they were considered "unworthy of an academic degree from a German university as Jews" under National Socialism. Melitta Bauer was stripped of her medical doctorate on July 14th, 1942 and her husband Julius on April 1st, 1943.
Melitta Bauer had already applied for U.S. citizenship in 1939, but did not receive it until 1944.
It was not until 13 years after the revocation and long after the end of National Socialism that her doctorate was regranted by the University of Vienna on May 15th, 1955, and the revocations were declared "void from the beginning".
She continued to live and work in Los Angeles, CA, practiced as a doctor and finally retired in 1977.
She died at the age of almost 95 on January 25th, 1980 in Los Angeles, CA/USA.
Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") PHIL and MED 1906–1915, graduation registry ("Promotionsprotokoll") PHIL M 34.3 No 794 and MED M 33.10 No 916, final examination registry and file ("Rigorosenprotokoll und -akt") PHIL No 2899, rectorate GZ 118 ex 1941/42 No 83, 86, 155, rectorate GZ 561 ex 1944/45 No 15; Municipal and Provincial Archives of Vienna/Historical Central Registration of Viennese inhabitants; Austrian State Archives (OeStA)/Archives of the Republic (AdR)/BMF/VA 63829, /BMF/AHF 16736, /BMF/NHF 4897 u /BMF/NHF II 11311 ; BAUER 1964; ROEDER 1983, 58-59; FEIKES 1999; POSCH 2009, 207; KOROTIN 2016, 219; REITER-ZATLOUKAL/SAUER 2024; Frauen in Bewegung (OeNB); Wien Geschichte Wiki; BiografiA; Regiowiki.at.
Herbert Posch
