Einstein, Albert, Mother of

Pauline Einstein (1858–1920) was the mother of the well-known physicist Albert Einstein. She was born Pauline Koch in Cannstatt, Württemberg (now Baden-Württemberg), Germany on February 8, 1858, into a Jewish family, and had one older sister and two older brothers. Pauline's father, Julius Koch, was successful and attained a considerable fortune in the grain business, as well as serving as a purveyor to the Royal Württemberg Court. In 1876, 18-year-old Pauline married Hermann Einstein, a merchant who at the time was living in Ulm, Württemberg (a city in situated on the River Danube). After the marriage, Hermann and Pauline lived in Ulm, and Hermann was employed as a joint partner in a bedfeathers company. Their first child, Albert, was born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm.

A year after Albert's birth, Hermann's bed-feathers business failed, and the family moved to Munich. There, Hermann's brother, Jakob, owned a gas and electrical supply company, for which Hermann provided salesmanship skills and Pauline provided loans from her family to aid the company. In November 1881, Pauline and Hermann had a second and final child, a daughter named Maria (who went by the name Maja). Albert and Maja were very close throughout their lives. Pauline settled with her family into a Munich suburb for what was an upper-class existence. Albert displayed signs of learning disabilities as a young boy, and Pauline used her passion and talent for music to teach Albert discipline. Although he rebelled at first, Albert later became an accomplished violinist and used it as a way to relax.

In 1894, Hermann Einstein's utility company also failed. At this time, Pauline moved with Hermann, Maja, and Hermann's brother Jakob to northern Italy—first Milan and then Pavia—where their Italian business partners thought there would be an opportunity for a smaller firm. Albert stayed behind with relatives to finish his last three years of school. However, Albert quit school and in late 1894 joined his parents in Italy with the intention of gaining admission to Zurich Polytechnic. However, Albert was not accepted, and instead went to a high school in Switzerland to finish his education.