Charles R. Sattgast

Charles Richard Sattgast (January 26, 1899 – March 24, 1964), sometimes written as C.R. Sattgast, was an American educator and military officer who took part in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA) or "Monuments men" during World War II. During the war Sattgast was responsible for inspecting the Schloss Fischhorn castle in Salzburg, Austria which led to the repatriation of multiple archival prints which were part of the Nazi plunder from the University of Warsaw, as well as the personal archives of Polish noblemen including Antoni Radziwiłł among others.

Early life and education Charles Richard Sattgast was born on January 26, 1899, in Mount Vernon, Illinois. Sattgast began his collegiate education at Southern Illinois University before transferring to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where he received his bachelor's degree. In addition to new programs, Sattgast also physically expanded the Bemidji State campus from its original 20 acres of land to 74 acres.

During his time in the Army with the Monuments Men Sattgast was responsible for the recovery of five tons (roughly 11023.1 lbs or 4999.994054 kg) of historical documents which were being housed as the Schloss Fischhorn castle in Salzburg, Austria. The documents had been stolen from the Second Polish Republic as part of the broader Nazi plunder, primarily from the University of Warsaw, during the Invasion of Poland and the subsequent Occupation of Poland.

Later life Following World War II Sattgast returned to his position as the president of Bemidji State University in 1946. Sattgast would continue to work for Bemidji State until 1964 when he retired from his position as university president.