Hans Albert Einstein (1904 - 1973)

Born 14 May 1904 in Bern, Schweiz

Ancestors

Died 26 Jul 1973 at age 69 in Woods Hole, Falmouth, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States of America

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Biography

Hans Albert Einstein is Notable.

Hans Albert Einstein was a Swiss-American engineer and educator. He was a professor of Hydraulic Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and was best known for his research on sediment transport. Hans Albert's papers are held at the Water Resources Collections and Archives in the University of California, Riverside Libraries and in the University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections and Archives.

Vitals

Hans Albert Einstein was born 14 May 1904 in Bern, Switzerland, the second child and first son of Albert Einstein and Mileva (Marić) Einstein. He married first to Frieda Knecht in 1927 and they had four children: Bernhard Caesar (1930-2008), Klaus Martin (1932-1939), David (Oct-Nov 1939) and Evelyn, adopted (1941-2001). Frieda died in 1958 and Hans Albert later remarried to Elizabeth Roboz (1904-1995). Hans Albert died 26 July 1973 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.^[1]

Early Life and Education

Albert Einstein and his family moved to Berlin in 1914. Due to domestic strife and her dislike for Berlin, Mileva returned to Zurich with her sons shortly thereafter. Five years later, his parents divorced in 1919.

In Zurich, Mileva made provisions for the education of her two sons. Hans completed his secondary education in Zurich. He then matriculated at the Swiss Technical College (ETH - Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule) in Zurich, his father's old school. He wanted to become an engineer. In 1926 he was awarded the diploma in civil engineering.^[2] From 1926 to 1930 he worked as a steel designer on a bridge project in Dortmund. In 1936 Hans Albert obtained a doctor of technical science degree. His doctoral thesis "Bed Load Transport as a Probability Problem" is considered the definitive work on sediment transport.

Marriage and Family

In 1927 he married Frieda Knecht. Ironically, Albert Einstein disapproved of Frieda much as his parents had of Mileva. At his father's behest, Hans Albert came to the United States in 1937 to look for work and to find a new home for his family. He went back to Switzerland in January of 1938. Hans Albert returned to the United States in June of 1938 with his family. Even though he made many trips back to Europe, Hans Albert and his family continuously resided in the United States until his death.

Hans Albert and Frieda had four children. Their first son, Bernhard Caesar Einstein, was born in 1930. Three years later, their the second son Klaus Martin was born. Klaus died in 1939 at the age of five of diphtheria infection.^[3]

In October 1939, their son, David Einstein, was born. Tragically, he died one month later in November 1939.^[4] Thus, both of these sons, Klaus Martin Einstein and David Einstein, were born in Greenville, South Carolina, and both died very young in the same year in Greenville, South Carolina, while Hans Albert was employed at Clemson University. The fourth child was Evelyn, an adopted child who was born in 1941. Frieda died unexpectedly in 1958 and one year later Hans Albert remarried to Dr. Elizabeth Roboz. Hans and Elizabeth had no children.

Work

Hans Albert first secured employment in the United States as a research engineer at the Agricultural Experiment Station in Clemson, South Carolina. He worked at Clemson University for the US Department of Agriculture, studying sediment transport from 1938 to 1943.

Hans Albert and his family then moved to California in 1943, where he took a position as a research engineer at the Californian Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He continued working for the USDA at the California Institute of Technology until 1947.

In 1947, Hans Albert took a position as associate professor of hydraulic engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He continued his career there from 1947 to 1971 advancing to full professor. The University of California awarded him the title Professor of Hydraulic Engineering, Emeritus. He gained international fame through his work.

Other

He "was an avid sailor, frequently taking colleagues and family out for excursions on the San Francisco Bay. On his many field trips and academic excursions, he took thousands of pictures, many of which he developed himself and presented as slide shows. He also loved music playing both the flute and the piano."^[1]

Death and Honors

As an authority in his field, Hans Albert traveled the world to participate in hydraulic engineering conferences. He was at a symposium at Woods Hole in Massachusetts when he collapsed and died from a sudden cardiovascular event on 26 July 1973.^[5]

In tribute to Einstein's lifelong contributions to the field, his former graduate students published a book of research in his honor in 1972 entitled Sedimentation: Symposium to Honor Professor H.A. Einstein.

In 1988, the American Society of Civil Engineers created the Hans Albert Einstein Award to recognize outstanding achievements in erosion control, sedimentation and/or waterway development.

Relationship with his Father

Hans Albert's relationship with his father was strained for many years.^[6] Only after Hans Albert and his first wife, Frieda Knecht, had married in 1927, did the relationship begin to improve.

Hans Albert's relationship with his father then normalized, and the two of them traveled together extensively throughout America. When his father's physical condition began to deteriorate, Hans Albert spent many hours with him.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Wikipedia: Hans Albert Einstein
2. ↑ Njegovan, Drago. Mileva Marić-Einstein: Dragi moji kumovi, pisma Sidoniji i Djoki Gajin 1935-1941, str. (page) 27
3. ↑ "South Carolina Deaths, 1915-1965," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N9NL-83D : 18 April 2016), Hans Albert Einstein in entry for Klaus Martin Einstein, 05 Jan 1939; citing , Einstein, Klaus Martin, 1939, Department of Archives and History, State Records Center, Columbia; FHL microfilm 1,943,863.
4. ↑ "South Carolina Deaths, 1915-1965," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N9JC-GQL : 18 April 2016), H.A. Einstein in entry for David Einstein, 21 Nov 1939; citing , Einstein, David, 1939, Department of Archives and History, State Records Center, Columbia; FHL microfilm 1,943,873.
5. ↑ Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 30 January 2020), memorial page for Hans Albert Einstein (14 May 1904–26 Jul 1973), Find A Grave: Memorial #118313170, citing Woods Hole Village Cemetery, Woods Hole, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Sarah (contributor 47929957).
6. ↑ Smith, Dinitia. Dark Side of Einstein Emerges in His Letters. In: The New York Times, published 6 November 1996. Online at The New York Times.

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q123371
• Einstein-website.de: Kurzbiographie: Hans Albert Einstein (short biography)
• "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24KY-5CD : 2 October 2015), Albert Einstein, 1937; citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4DC-DBC : accessed 28 May 2017), H Albert Einstein, Ward 1, Greenville, Greenville Township, Greenville, South Carolina, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 23-33, sheet 5B, line 60, family 109, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3812.
• "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24BG-P3K : 2 October 2015), Hans Einstein, 1951; citing Immigration, New York City, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2HWD-ZYX : 3 October 2015), Hans Einstein, 1954; citing Immigration, New York City, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• "Brasil, São Paulo, Cartões de Imigração, 1902-1980," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVV9-MGGG : 3 June 2016), Hans Albert Einstein, 1958; citing Immigration, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, certificate , registration , Arquivo Público do Estado de São Paulo (São Paulo State Public Archives, São Paulo).