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Loeb, Richard A., 1905-1936

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1905 - 1936

Biography

Richard Albert Loeb was born 1905 June 11 in Chicago, Illinois, to parents Anna Henrietta (née Bohnen) and Albert Henry Loeb. He had three brothers: Allan Moritz Loeb, Ernest Loeb and Thomas Henry Loeb. His father Albert was a lawyer and former vice president of Sears, Roebuck & company. He grew up in the Kenwood neighborhood of South Side Chicago. He graduated from the University of Michigan at 17, and went on to pursue graduate studies in history at the University of Chicago. He gained notoriety when he and fellow wealthy University of Chicago student Nathan Freudenthal Leopold Jr (1904-1971), murdered Bobby Franks (age 14) in May of 1924. Lawyer Clarence Darrow was the lawyer for their defense and argued against the death penalty; both Leopold and Loeb pled guilty. They each received life imprisonment plus 99 years. Leopold was eventually released on parole, but Loeb was killed by another prisoner (James Day) in Stateville Penitentiary, Illinois, January 1936.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Harold S. Hulbert Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 55/23
Abstract

The Papers of psychiatrist Harold Hulbert include notes and correspondence pertaining to his examination of John Kammerer, a convicted murderer executed February 13, 1925; and statements, reports, and evidence Hulbert obtained as a consultant in the celebrated Leopold and Loeb murder case of 1924.

Dates: 1920-2013