Hauptmann, Bruno Richard (1899-1936)

Bruno Richard Hauptmann was a German immigrant. Before he came to the United States he was drafted into the German Army during World War I. He was sent to France and fought in the battle of Saint-Mihiel. He worked as a carpenter. He was arrested numerous times for burglary in the early 1920s. He illegally entered the United States in 1923. He was charged with the kidnapping and murder of 20-month-old Charles Lindberg Jr. He pleaded not guilty but was sentenced to death by a jury in 1935. He was executed on April 3, 1936, via electric chair. He proclaimed his innocence until his death. He married Anna Schoeffler in 1925 who tried to clear his name until her death.

“Lindbergh Kidnapping.” FBI, 18 May 2016.

“Richard Hauptmann.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 July 2024.

Newspaper Enterprise Association

September 20, 1934

Public Domain

1899-11-26

Kamenz, German Empire

1936-04-03