“Some day when I become a general, I want people to know that I’m serious.” – 10-year-old Norman Schwarzkopf explaining why he posed with a stern face for his official photo at the Bordentown Military Institute.
Schwarzkopf was born Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., in Trenton, NJ, to Ruth Alice (Bowman) and Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Sr. His mother was a distant relation to Thomas Jefferson and a registered nurse. His father was a West Point graduate, World War I veteran, and later, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police and led the investigation into the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby.
The 1940 U.S. census places the Schwarzkopf family on Lawrenceville Road in Lawrence Township, NJ. Parents Norman and Ruth live with children Ruth Ann, Sarah, and 5-year-old Norman. Norman Sr., at the time, worked as a supervisor at an insurance company. The father is listed as H. Norman, and the son as Norman Jr. In 1952 the son’s birth certificate was altered to H. Norman Schwarzkopf because the father detested the first name.
The neighborhood was made up of mostly New Jersey natives. There were no immigrants. The occupations ranged from hairdresser, saleslady, and clerk, to veterinarian and civil engineer. The 1940 census listed the value of the residence. None on the page exceeded $6,000 except the Scharzkopf’s, which was listed at $30,000.
Later Life
When World War II broke out, Schwarzkopf Sr. rejoined the army and was stationed in Tehran, Iran. In 1946 young Norman joined him there. They later made stops in Italy, Heidelberg, Frankfurt, and Berlin, before returning to Tehran.
Norman’s schooling looked like this:
- Bordentown Military Institute, New Jersey
- Community High School, Tehran, Iran
- International School, Geneva, Switzerland
- Frankfurt American High School, Germany
- Heidelberg American High School, Germany
- Valley Forge Military Academy, Pennsylvania
He attended the United States Military Academy where he played football, wrestled, sang, and conducted the West Point Chapel choir. In his plebe year when students were hazed, he was often required to imitate his father’s radio show. His father had been the narrator of the Gangbusters radio show in the 1930s.
His long and illustrious military career, including his leadership in the Gulf War, is covered here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Schwarzkopf_Jr.
After retirement, he wrote his memoirs which became a best seller, beat prostate cancer, and won $14,000 for charity on Celebrity Jeopardy. Among his many honors were the Presidential Medal of Freedom and an Honorable Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.
Schwarzkopf died on December 27, 2012, from complications of pneumonia.
Other happenings on August 22, 1934:
- Al Capone was imprisoned at the new Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in San Francisco Bay.
- In Warsaw, Polish newspaper editor and former Treasury Minister Ignacy Matuszewski fought a duel with Professor Wladimir Lednizcki. The professor accused Matuszewski of slandering his late father, a lawyer who committed suicide after a company he was representing lost a case. Matuszewski was shot and seriously wounded but survived.
Tomorrow – A wet dancer
Sources
- Wikipedia.org
- Ancestry.com
- Onthisday.com
- Picryl.com
- Youtube.com
Famous People and Their First Census 