John Jacob Weisert papers
Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 1992_025-UA
The papers of John Jacob Weisert, 1914-1991, were donated to the University of Louisville Archives and Records Center in 1992 after the death of his wife, Anita B. Weisert.
They occupy 7.25 linear feet and contain materials identified with Dr. Weisert's academic pursuits. Arrangement of the collection is in four series: I. Correspondence, II. Literary productions and manuscripts, III. Reference materials, and IV. Personal and professional papers. Each series begins with a brief description noting contents, subdivisions, and information as to arrangement. The folder titles were taken from Dr. Weisert's original folders. All material has been placed in acid free folders and boxes to aid in preservation.
A box listing ends the inventory, with each folder listed and dates of material included, when they are know.
Open to researchers
The copyright interests in the John Jacob Weisert Papers have not been transferred to the University of Louisville.
7.25 linear feet (5 records center boxes, 2 manuscript boxes and 1 flat box)
John Jacob Weisert was born just before World War One and was a native of Louisville, Kentucky. He graduated from the University of Louisville in 1936 and received his Master of Arts and Ph.D from Columbia University, where is was a Carl Schurz fellow. He served in the United States Army during World War Two, rising through the ranks to become a captain. In 1948, Weisert returned to the University of Louisville as an Assistant Professor of Modern Languages, teaching German and humanities courses. He became the head of the Modern Language department at the University of Louisville in 1963. His academic career also includes teaching at the University of Tennessee, The Pennsylvania State University, and he served as a Carnegie Fellow in General Education at the University of Chicago.
Weisert's research focused on the Germans who settled in Kentucky and Ohio, with special emphasis on the city of Louisville. His main interest was on their contributions to the area's culture. Theater was also an important research area for Weisert. He wrote several books and articles dealing with the theaters of Louisville, beginning in the 1850s. Weisert also wrote extensively on the works of Gerhardt Hauptmann and Friedrich Schiller.
He was a member of the Filson Club and the Historical and Philosophical Society of Ohio. He was published in the Filson Club History Quarterly, the American German Review, and the Modern Language Journal, among others.
Dr. Weisert died in 1991.
Part of the University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections Repository