Heller, Otto, 1863-1941

Otto Heller was born in 1863 in the province of Saxony, Germany. After initial aspirations to be an actor, Heller attended the University of Prague, followed by the universities of Munich, Vienna, and Berlin. He came to the United States in 1883 as a tutor and secured the post of instructor in Greek at LaSalle College in Philadelphia in 1887. After receiving his doctor's degree from the University of Chicago in 1890, he taught briefly at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before becoming a professor of German language and literature at Washington University in 1892. In 1914, Heller was made professor of modern European literature in addition to his original professorship, and in 1923 he became the first dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, a post he held until he became dean emeritus in 1937. Heller was married to Jean S. Blair Heller. He was an active and well respected critic of literature as well as being a writer himself. His publications include "Henrik Ibsen: play and problems," "Studies in modern literature," "Prophets of dissent," and many others. Otto Heller died July 29, 1941.