Profile Text
Birth Name: Henry Judah Heimlich
Date of Birth: February 3, 1920
Place of Birth: Wilmington, Delaware, United States
Date of Death: December 17, 2016
Place of Death: Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish
Henry Heimlich was an American thoracic surgeon and medical researcher. He is generally credited as the inventor of the Heimlich maneuver, a technique of abdominal thrusts for stopping choking.
Henry was the son of Mary (Epstein) and Pincus “Philip” Heimlich. He was married to Jane Murray, whose father was ballroom-dancing entrepreneur Arthur Murray (born Moses Teichman). He was a relative of actor Anson Williams (born Anson William Heimlich).
Henry’s paternal grandfather was Max Heimlich (the son of Natan Heimlich and Johanna “Hani” Pfirish/Pfirsich). Max was a Hungarian Jewish immigrant, from Pozsony (now Bratislava, Slovakia). Natan was the son of Mozes Henrik Heimlich and Szali Jara “Sara” Teitelbaum.
Henry’s paternal grandmother was Lottie Geiger (the daughter of Bernát Geiger and Rosi Weinberger). Lottie was a Hungarian Jewish immigrant, from Sátoraljaújhely, Zemplén (now part of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén). Bernát was the son of David Geiger and Mina Geiger. Rosi was the daughter of Pincus “Phillip” Weinberger and Sali Strausz.
Henry’s maternal grandparents were Louis Epstein and Celia Barovitskaya. Louis and Celia were Russian Jewish immigrants.
Sources: Genealogy of Henry Heimlich (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com
Henry’s birth record – https://familysearch.org