Mathwar/Personlist/Goedel Kurt
Kurt Goedel
(* April 28th 1906 in Brünn, Austria, † January 14th 1978 in Princeton, USA)
Life
In March 1938 Austria had became part of Germany but Gödel was not much interested and carried on his life much as normal. He visited Princeton for the second time, spending the first term of session 1938-39 at the Institute for Advanced Study. The second term of that academic year he gave a beautiful lecture course at Notre Dame. Most who held the title of privatdozent in Austria became paid lecturers after the country became part of Germany but Gödel did not and his application made on 25 September 1939 was given an unenthusiastic response. It seems that he was thought to be Jewish, but in fact this was entirely wrong, although he did have many Jewish friends. Others also mistook him for a Jew, and he was once attacked by a gang of youths, believing him to be a Jew, while out walking with his wife in Vienna.
When the war started Gödel feared that he might be conscripted into the German army. Of course he was also convinced that he was in far too poor health to serve in the army, but if he could be mistaken for a Jew he might be mistaken for a healthy man. He was not prepared to risk this, and after lengthy negotiation to obtain a U.S. visa he was fortunate to be able to return to the United States, although he had to travel via Russia and Japan to do so. His wife accompanied him.
In 1940 Gödel arrived in the United States, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1948 (in fact he believed he had found an inconsistency in the United States Constitution, but the judge had more sense than to listen during his interview!). He was an ordinary member of the Institute for Advanced Study from 1940 to 1946 (holding year long appointments which were renewed every year), then he was a permanent member until 1953.