Erich and Grete Baum Collection 1939-1974

This collection focuses on the restitution efforts of Erich and Grete Baum. The materials consist of legal statements, court decisions, receipts, and correspondence, particularly with the Baum’s lawyer, Adolf Hamburger.Erich Baum was born on July 29, 1892 in Oberhausen (Rheinland, Germany) to Wilhelm Baum and his wife Mina née Collin. He studied business at a trade school and worked in various businesses before joining the German army in 1915. After the end of World War I, he opened a men’s clothing store in Rheine (Westphalia, Germany). In 1924, he married Grete Dublon, the daughter of a teacher David Dublon and his wife Paula née Goldschmidt. When Germany came under Nazi control, Erich Baum was forced to sell his business. He immigrated to the United States in September of 1938 and settled in New York City.In the 1950s and 1960s, Erich and Grete Baum claimed restitution for the cost of immigration, special expenses, damages to career, and stolen property. They also successfully claimed retirement benefits from the German government.Processeddigitize