Claude Schwob

Claude Schwob (1910–2000) was an American nuclear chemist who worked on the Manhattan Project. After the end of World War II, he was employed at the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory. Schwob, who was gay, was open about his sexuality throughout his life.

Biography

Schwob was born on June 16, 1910, in New York, and lived in France for much of his childhood. He graduated in 1931 from Fordham University with a PhD in chemistry, and went on to teach there at St. Peter's College. During World War II, Schwob volunteered to serve in the Chemical Warfare Service. He worked on the Manhattan Project, first at the University of Chicago, then in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He is the only gay man known to have served as a researcher on the Manhattan Project at a high clearance level, and was open about his sexuality.

After the end of the Manhattan Project, Schwob returned to teaching at the Institute of Technology in Chicago until 1947. Beginning in 1948, Schwob researched radiation in a top-secret lab at the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory, where he remained until his retirement.

An avid amateur photographer, Schwob took a large number of photos of men through the 1940s and 1950s. His subjects are often nude and sometimes engaging in oral sex; Schwob himself sometimes appears, engaging familiarly with the other men or joining in the sexual activities. Schwob also collected prints from the Athletic Model Guild, similarly depicting men in states of undress. He supported Hospitality House and programs assisting homeless gay youth. He continued to be sexually active well into old age. Schwob died on July 24, 2000.