Wolfe, George, 1904-1990

George Victor Wolfe (1904-1990) was born Georg Victor Wolf in Vienna, Austria on September 24, 1904 to Emil Wolf (1864-1942), a lawyer, and Rosa Wolf (neé Stein; 1870-1937). George had an older sister named Gertrud Charlotte (1899-1957) who immigrated to England and later to the United States.

George studied history, law, government, and philosophy at the University of Vienna and received his Ph.D. in History in 1928. Upon graduation, George began to study law exclusively and received his J.D. in 1930 from the University of Vienna. He worked as an assistant in his father's law office as well as for several courts until he was sworn in as an attorney in January 1938. However, in June of that same year the Nazis forbade him to practice law.

Alice Wolfe (neé Frisch) was born on April 2, 1905 in Topolcza, Hungary. Her parents were Eugen Frisch (1874-1920), a wine merchant and Helene Frisch (neé Bischnitz; 1880-1942). Alice had a younger sister named Irma.

Alice studied art history, archaeology and history at the University of Vienna. While attending a seminar in history, she met her future husband, George Wolfe, whom she married on August 8, 1928. After obtaining her Ph.D. in Art History, Alice joined the Albertina Museum in Vienna as a portrait cataloguer. She held this position until 1938 when the Nazis denied Jews the right to work in museums.

George and Alice fled to England in February 1939 with the help of the German Jewish Aid Committee, which guaranteed their financial support. The Wolfe's British entry permit was granted under the condition that they would not stay permanently in England. Both tried to help George's father, Emil Wolf, immigrate to Cuba, but they were unsuccessful. Emil later died in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Alice's mother, Helene Frisch was deported to Riga, Latvia.

In November 1939, George and Alice immigrated to New York, where Alice found work cataloguing William Randolph Hearst's collection of Majolica plates (which were to be auctioned). Shortly after their arrival, the couple moved to New Haven, Connecticut. There, Alice was made an honorary fellow in the Department of Art at Yale University and appointed as a research assistant in Renaissance Art at the Yale Art Gallery. George studied political science at Yale. After graduation, he worked as a temporary professor of political science at the university.

George and Alice changed their last name from Wolf to Wolfe when they became United States citizens in 1945 and 1946, respectively. The name "Wolf" was so often misspelled, that the couple decided to alter the spelling of it. In addition, George added a final "e" to his first name for the same reason.

Although George had difficulty finding a permanent teaching position, he was eventually hired at the College of Idaho, located in Caldwell, Idaho. In 1947, the couple left New Haven. George was successful in his academic career and stayed at the College of Idaho until he was named professor emeritus in 1970. Alice, however, became increasingly ill. She suffered from a degenerative neurological disease, which made it more and more difficult for her to walk. She also suffered from depression. Alice died on July 9, 1983 and George passed away seven years later on December 15, 1990.

From the guide to the George and Alice Wolfe Collection, 1870-1991, (Leo Baeck Institute)