Overlooked, but—at least as much because of what he represents as his own activities—an important Fortean.
Waldemar Bernhard Kaempfert was born 23 September 1877 in New York City, making him a contemporary of Charles Fort, who was born upstate, in Albany, three years earlier. His father, Barnhard, was a German immigrant; his mother, the former Juliette Levine, was born in New York to a Russian father and German mother; Barnhard and Juliette were married 15 October 1876. I believe that Waldemar was their eldest child; he had a sister, Magda, two years his junior. I have not been able to find the Kaempfferts in the 1880 or 1900 censuses (the 1890 census was destroyed in a fire), so I do not know what work Barnhard did. He died sometime before 1910, leaving Juliette a widow for the last several decades of her life. Waldemar attended local schools, and graduated from the City College of New York with a Bachelor’s of Science in 1897.
Kaempffert went to work at Scientific American after his graduation; according to Wikipedia, his first job there was translating. In 1900, he became a managing editor; he also continued his education: he received and LL.B. from City College in 1904. In 1910, according to the census, Waldemar was living with his mother and sister on West 105th in Manhattan. Magda, who was divorced, taught at a school; Juliette did not have a job listed. The following year, Kaempffert married Carolyn Lydia Yeaton. During this period,, he was also writing on science for other periodicals—including Harper’s, Cosmopolitan, and McClure’s—and putting out books. In 1905 he translated Mathot’s “Gas-Engines and Producer-Gas Plants” from the French; in 1909 he published “Astronomy,” the first volume in “The Science-History of the Universe”; and in 1911, “The New Art of Flying.”
Waldemar Bernhard Kaempfert was born 23 September 1877 in New York City, making him a contemporary of Charles Fort, who was born upstate, in Albany, three years earlier. His father, Barnhard, was a German immigrant; his mother, the former Juliette Levine, was born in New York to a Russian father and German mother; Barnhard and Juliette were married 15 October 1876. I believe that Waldemar was their eldest child; he had a sister, Magda, two years his junior. I have not been able to find the Kaempfferts in the 1880 or 1900 censuses (the 1890 census was destroyed in a fire), so I do not know what work Barnhard did. He died sometime before 1910, leaving Juliette a widow for the last several decades of her life. Waldemar attended local schools, and graduated from the City College of New York with a Bachelor’s of Science in 1897.
Kaempffert went to work at Scientific American after his graduation; according to Wikipedia, his first job there was translating. In 1900, he became a managing editor; he also continued his education: he received and LL.B. from City College in 1904. In 1910, according to the census, Waldemar was living with his mother and sister on West 105th in Manhattan. Magda, who was divorced, taught at a school; Juliette did not have a job listed. The following year, Kaempffert married Carolyn Lydia Yeaton. During this period,, he was also writing on science for other periodicals—including Harper’s, Cosmopolitan, and McClure’s—and putting out books. In 1905 he translated Mathot’s “Gas-Engines and Producer-Gas Plants” from the French; in 1909 he published “Astronomy,” the first volume in “The Science-History of the Universe”; and in 1911, “The New Art of Flying.”