Heinz Bluhm was born in Halle, Germany on November 23, 1907, the only child of Fritz and Louise Bluhm. The first eighteen years of his life he lived in Halle and Magdeburg, Germany. In 1924 the family immigrated to Oshkosh, Wisconsin where relatives of Louise Bluhm had lived since 1882.

Bluhm went to high school in Oshkosh and to Northwestern College in Watertown, Wisconsin, graduating in 1928. He then went to the University of Wisconsin in Madison to do graduate work in German and Classics. A University Fellowship in German made it possible for Bluhm to earn a master's degree in 1929 and a doctoral degree in 1932. While writing his dissertation on "The Reception of Goethe's Faust in England in the Second Half of the 19th Century," Yale University offered Bluhm an assistantship for one year (1930-1931). While at Yale he was able to do research in the Goethe collection. Back in Madison, Bluhm worked as a full-time instructor in German until 1937, when Yale offered him a faculty position. Two years later he became an Assistant Professor. On August 15, 1938 Heinz Bluhm married Helen McClure Berrn. They had four children: Peter, Louise, Margaret, and Christopher.

During his first years at Yale Bluhm's research was focused mainly on Nietzsche, and he published several articles. Soon after, however, Bluhm's interest shifted to Martin Luther and Goethe. His scholarly attention focused on these figures through the later years of his career. While at Yale, Bluhm started to work on an "Index Verborum," a reference guide to the essential words in Martin Luther’s writings from 1516 through 1525.

In 1966 Heinz Bluhm was asked to teach two courses at Boston College. After thirty years at Yale, he accepted a professorship at Boston College in 1967. One year later Bluhm founded the Germanic Studies Department.

In 1971 Germany honored Bluhm’s contributions to German culture with the "Bundesverdienstkreuz." Between 1980 and 1993 Bluhm won several Newberry Library Fellowships and during the summer he often travelled to Chicago. At the Newberry Library he conducted research for the publication of the letters and diaries of Ottilie von Goethe, daughter-in-law of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and the publisher of the nineteenth century magazine "Chaos."

Although Heinz Bluhm retired in June, 1976, he continued to teach at Boston College and work on his Luther project until about a week before his death on November 21, 1993.

Sources:

"Biographical information," Box 51, folder 9-10, Heinz Bluhm papers, BC.1996.078, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

"Vita mea (for Peter)", Box 30, Folder 1, Heinz Bluhm papers, BC.1996.078, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.