H. Paul (Hans Paul) Caemmerer

Hans Paul Caemmerer served as the first civilian secretary of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, holding the post from 1922 to 1954 after first joining the commission as a clerk and assistant in 1919. Before that, he worked for the U.S. Postal Service, and his academic background was unusually broad: the Commission of Fine Arts says he earned a master’s degree in art and archaeology from George Washington University in 1917, a law degree from Georgetown University in 1924, and a doctorate from American University in 1937.

During more than three decades with the Commission, he also wrote books that helped document the story of Washington, D.C. Confirmed titles include Washington: The National Capital (1932), A Manual on the Origin and Development of Washington (1939), and The Life of Pierre Charles L’Enfant, Planner of the City Beautiful, the City of Washington (1950). He was also affiliated with groups including the Archaeological Institute of America, the Columbia Historical Society, the American Federation of the Arts, and the American Civic Association.

Available records identify him as born on January 24, 1884, in Chandlerville, Illinois, and deceased on May 13, 1962, in Washington, D.C. I couldn't confirm a suitable portrait image from the sources I found, so no profile image is included here.