Europe and the Soviet Union
Richard Schifter: From Austria to American Diplomacy
Escaped Vienna alone at fifteen; his parents were murdered in the Holocaust. He later led the Department's human rights bureau.
- Fled
- Austria
- Status
- Fled persecution
- Arrived in the U.S.
- 1938
- Service
- Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs (1985 to 1992)
- Region
- Europe and the Soviet Union
After Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, fifteen-year-old Richard Schifter was the only member of his family to obtain a U.S. visa. He arrived alone in December 1938. His parents stayed behind and were murdered in the Holocaust.
He served in the U.S. Army in World War II and later as Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs from 1985 to 1992.
Read the history behind this story on the Nazi Germany and Austria page, or browse all the diplomats.