After seventeen other candidates declined the dangerous mission, Waitstill Sharp accepted an assignment from the American Unitarian Association to assist refugees in Czechoslovakia. Arriving in Prague on 23 February 1939, he operated under the looming threat of Nazi expansion, eventually navigating complex bureaucratic and illegal channels to secure safety for those facing systematic persecution across Europe during World War II.
Academic Background and Ordination
Born in Boston in 1902 to Grace Hastings and Dallas Lore Sharp, Waitstill Sharp pursued a diverse education. He earned an undergraduate degree in economics and English from Boston University in 1924, followed by an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1926. He further expanded his academic credentials with an M.A. from Harvard University in 1931. While studying law, he connected with the American Unitarian Association, leading to his ordination as a minister in 1933 and subsequent service at churches in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and later Wellesley, Massachusetts.
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Upon reaching Prague in early 1939, Sharp initially sought to coordinate refugee relief through official government channels. The German occupation of Czechoslovakia on 15 March 1939 forced him to adopt more clandestine methods. He utilized irregular currency manipulations to extend his limited funds, stocking essential supplies and supporting local organizations. Despite persistent German harassment, including office raids and the eventual shuttering of his operations, he remained in the country until August before returning to the United States.
Relief Work in Vichy France
In May 1940, Sharp returned to Europe at the request of the Unitarian leadership. Traveling through Portugal and Spain into France, he collaborated with figures such as Donald A. Lowrie and Varian Fry to facilitate the escape of intellectuals and artists. Working in Marseille, he helped organize the extraction of notable individuals, including Lion Feuchtwanger and the Mann family, who crossed the Pyrenees to safety. This phase of his work concluded in late 1940 as he escorted refugees back to the United States.
Fast facts
- Born: 1 May 1902, Boston
- Died: 25 February 1983, Greenfield
- Spouse: Martha Ingham Dickie
- Education: Harvard Law School, Harvard University, Boston University
- Key Recognition: Righteous Among the Nations (2005)
- Primary Mission Sites: Czechoslovakia, France, Portugal, Spain
Questions readers ask
What specific honor did Waitstill Sharp receive?
He was named Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem in 2005 for his rescue work during World War II.
Did he work alone in Europe?
No, he performed his humanitarian work in partnership with his wife, Martha Sharp, throughout the war years.
Achievements
- Righteous Among the Nations — 2005
- Worked as jurist, Christian minister and pastor
- Educated at Boston University and Harvard Law School
