LGBT History Project: LGBT-105 Richard Schlegel Historical Marker Collection

Number of Pages
2
Date
2020-2022
Richard Lamar Schlegel was born in 1927 in Berrysburg, PA, a small borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. In 1949, he moved to Washington, D.C. where he pursued a master’s degree and later took a job in the federal government. His career ended in 1961 when he was fired for “immoral and indecent conduct” after being followed by secret investigators who investigated his personal life. Schlegel appealed his case, Schlegel vs. the United States, which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court but was refused a hearing. LGBTQ+ activists and community members have repeatedly attempted to get Schlegel the recognition he deserves as a LGBTQ+ rights pioneer. In 2020, Schlegel was nominated for a Historical Marker in Pennsylvania to mark the historic event of Schlegel taking his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The marker was approved and installed in Harrisburg near the Pennsylvania capitol, outside Schlegel’s former home, in October 2021. After receiving complaints, chiefly from State Senator John DiSanto, the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission voted to remove the marker on June 1, 2022, less than a year after its placement.
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Anonymous Donor
Location
LGBT-105 Richard Schlegel Historical Marker Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-114 Richard L. Schlegel Collection

Number of Pages
4
Date
1949-2006
Richard Lamar Schlegel was born in 1927 in Berrysburg, PA, a small borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. In 1949, he moved to Washington, D.C. where he pursued a master’s degree and later took a job in the federal government. His career ended in 1961 when he was fired for “immoral and indecent conduct” after being followed by secret investigators who investigated his personal life. Schlegel appealed his case, Schlegel vs. the United States, which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court but was refused a hearing. He then returned to Pennsylvania where he worked for the Department of Highways and started a small chapter of the Janus Society in Harrisburg. This is believed to be the first gay organization created in central Pennsylvania.
Year
Origin
Gift of Robert ''Bob'' Deibler
Collection
Location
LGBT-114 Richard L. Schlegel Collection

Richard Schlegel with large group of men in front of building - circa 1964

Date
circa 1964

Richard Schlegel (front, fourth from the left) with large group of men in front of building. Possibly PA Department of Highway staff.

General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Robert ''Bob'' Deibler
Collection
Location
LGBT-114 Richard L. Schlegel Collection

Richard Schlegel at event for PA Department of Highways - circa 1964

Date
circa 1964

PA Department of Highways event. Richard Schlegel (back left), Department of Highways Deputy Secretary Wilbur Webb (center), Secretary Henry Harral (right of Webb), and Joe Micco (far right).

General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Robert ''Bob'' Deibler
Collection
Location
LGBT-114 Richard L. Schlegel Collection

Richard Schlegel at the Pennsylvania Highway Information Association dinner - March 11, 1964

Date
March 11, 1964

Pennsylvania Highway Information Association dinner at the Scranton Holiday Inn. Left to right: Ken Larson, James E. Krick, Max Frey, and Richard Schlegel, unidentified man.

General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Robert ''Bob'' Deibler
Collection
Location
LGBT-114 Richard L. Schlegel Collection

Richard Schlegel at the Bucknell University Seminar for Highway Executives - August 1963

Date
August 1963

Bucknell University seminar for highway executives, left to right: Ken Larson, Dr. George McManmon (standing), James Mifflin, and Richard Schlegel.

General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Robert ''Bob'' Deibler
Collection
Location
LGBT-114 Richard L. Schlegel Collection