Born in 1896, Col. H. Norman Schwarzkopf graduated from West Point in 1917 and left for Europe to serve in the First World War. After the armistice, he was appointed military police chief of an occupied German town – a position which would ultimately shape his career. In 1921, soon after leaving the service and returning to New Jersey, the Governor of New Jersey appointed Col. Schwarzkopf to organize and lead the New Jersey State Police.
Col. Schwarzkopf was tough. Of the first 116 recruits, he admitted only eighty-one. By March of 1932, he had shaped the New Jersey State Police into a sizable and effective law enforcement agency. Upon learning of the Lindbergh kidnapping, Col. Schwarzkopf established a command center at the Hopewell estate. Initially, he found his investigation impeded by the Lindberghs' desire to negotiate with the kidnappers for the return of their child. Once the child’s body was found, Col. Schwarzkopf took complete control of the investigation. At the request of the Governor, he reopened the investigation after Hauptmann was convicted.
As a result of the political fall-out which arose in the wake of the Lindbergh affair, Col. Schwarzkopf was replaced as superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. In the late 1930’s, he narrated “Gang Busters” – a popular radio show about true crime. Col. Schwarzkopf returned to military service in 1940, ultimately achieving the rank of Brigadier General, and later helped to organize and train the Iranian police force. He is the father of the Gulf War hero, “Stormin Norman,” who shares his name. Col. Schwarzkopf died in 1958.