Paul Osaiah Bleecker was born in New York on July 28, 1921. Although we know little of his life before and after the war, he briefly attended the City College of New York (today, within the CUNY system) before being inducted into the US Army in July 1942.

Private First Class Bleecker served as a regional clerk for the MFAA Subcommission in Italy. His duties included managing files, typing memos and reports, and delivering correspondence submitted by the Monuments Men stationed in the Tuscano, Emilia, and Lombardia regions. Bleecker often worked closely with Monuments Man First Lieutenant Frederick Hartt. Years later, Hartt gifted Bleecker a copy of his memoir Florentine Art Under Fire (1949) with the inscription, “To Paul, with more grateful memories and good wishes than can easily be said.”

Following his return to the United States in December 1945, Bleecker studied law at Columbia University Law School. He then began a career in law which included practice in New York City as well as work as a conseil juridique in France. He also served as chairman of the law committee of the Marine Technology Society. A musician and member of the prestigious Bohemian Club, Bleecker died in Queens, New York, on January 17, 1987. He is buried at the Long Island National Cemetery in East Farmingdale, New York.