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Max Weber Sr.

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Max Weber Sr. in 1888, facing forward and looking left
Max Weber Sr. in 1888

Wilhelm Maximilian Weber[a] (May 31, 1836 – August 10, 1897) was a German lawyer, municipal official and National Liberal politician. He was the father of the social scientists Max and Alfred Weber.

Biography

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Wilhelm Maximilian Weber was born in Bielefeld, on May 31, 1836. He came from a family of Westphalian origin, with a background as merchants and industrialists in the textile business.[1][2][3] He was a brother of the entrepreneur Carl David Weber.[2] He studied at Göttingen, where he became member of Burschenschaft Hannovera (fraternity),[4] and Berlin and received a doctorate, becoming a Doctor of Law. Between 1862 and 1869, he worked for the municipal council in Erfurt as a magistrate, having previously held this position in Berlin. He began working in Berlin in 1893 and finally, in Charlottenburg.

He was a leading member of the National Liberal Party[1] and was a member of the central executive committee. He was a member of the Berlin City Council.[5] Between 1872 and 1877 and again from 1879 to 1884, Weber was a member of the German Empire Reichstag.[2][5][6] He was also a member of the Prussian House of Representatives (German: Preußisches Abgeordnetenhaus) from 1868 to 1882 and from 1884 to 1897,[5][6] the Reich Debt Administration (German: Reichsschuldenverwaltung), and the Prussian Debt Commission (German: preußischen Schuldenkommission). Politically, he was a "constitutionalist" (a supporter of the monarchy and the constitution) and a follower of Rudolf von Bennigsen.[2]

He wrote several journal articles on politics and statistics. Throughout his life, he avoided acting in a way that would make him seem radical, or not part of the establishment.[7]

He died on August 10, 1897, in Riga while traveling with his friend.[8][9] The cause of his death has been uncertain, possibly a bleeding ulcer.[9] He was buried in Berlin (Kirchhof Jerusalem und Neue Kirche IV cemetery).

Personal life

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A group photograph of the Weber family around a table
Max Weber Sr. with his wife and children

In 1863, he married Helene Weber, née Fallenstein (1844–1919), the daughter of the poet George Friedrich Fallenstein (1790–1853).[10] They had eight children, six of whom reached adulthood, including the sociologist Max (Jr.) and the economist Alfred Weber. His daughter, Clara (1875–1953), married one of Theodor Mommsen's sons.[2]

His house was often visited by prominent politicians, such as Rudolf von Bennigsen and immediate subordinates of Otto von Bismarck.[5] He was also visited by intellectuals, like professors Heinrich von Treitschke, Heinrich von Sybel, and Theodor Mommsen.[5] His wife was an intellectual herself and an active participant in the discussions.[2][5]

Unlike his ascetic wife, Weber "enjoyed earthly pleasures".[2][6][7] This created marital tension in the family and was one of the reasons he grew estranged from his son, Max Weber, Jr.[6][7][11] The conflicting influences of his parents were often cited as important influences on the younger Max.[1][7] Two months before his death, he had a serious quarrel with his son, Max, regarding his treatment of his wife, a quarrel that was never resolved and shortly afterward, following his funeral, young Max suffered a severe and long depression, events that are all seen as related to one another.[1][6][8][12][13] The event was such an influence on the young Weber that it resulted in several articles.[13]

Notes

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  • a ^ Sources generally refer to Max Weber as Max Weber Sr.[1][6] or senior.[5] This likely serves to differentiate between him and his son, Max Weber. In those contexts, the younger Max is sometimes referred to as Max Weber, Jr.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Kim, Sung Ho (24 August 2007). "Max Weber". Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Dirk Käsler (1988). Max Weber: an introduction to his life and work. University of Chicago Press. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-226-42560-3. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  3. ^ Kaesler, Dirk (2014). Max Weber. Preuße, Denker, Muttersohn. Eine Biographie (in German) (First ed.). Munich: C. H. Beck. pp. 78–79, 106. ISBN 978-3-406-66076-4. JSTOR j.ctv1168mt4. OCLC 878146290. S2CID 170890977.
  4. ^ de:Burschenschaft Hannovera Göttingen
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Martin Burgess Green (1974). The von Richthofen sisters: the triumphant and the tragic modes of love: Else and Frieda von Richthofen, Otto Gross, Max Weber, and D. H. Lawrence, in the years 1870-1970. Basic Books. p. 104. ISBN 9780465090501. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Lutz Kaelber Max Weber’s Personal Life, 1886-1893
  7. ^ a b c d George Ritzer (29 September 2009). Contemporary Sociological Theory and Its Classical Roots: The Basics. McGraw-Hill. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-07-340438-7. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  8. ^ a b Anthony T. Kronman (July 1983). Max Weber. Stanford University Press. pp. 191–. ISBN 978-0-8047-1140-1. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  9. ^ a b Arthur Mitzman (1970). The iron cage: an historical interpretation of Max Weber. Transaction Publishers. pp. 151–. ISBN 978-0-87855-984-8. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  10. ^ Wolf, Armin (1964). "Der Pädagoge und Philosoph Johann Conrad Fallenstein (1731–1813) – Genealogische Beziehungen zwischen Max Weber, Gauß und Bessel". Genealogie (in German). 7: 266–269.
  11. ^ Kenneth Allan; Kenneth D. Allan (2 November 2005). Explorations in Classical Sociological Theory: Seeing the Social World. Pine Forge Press. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-4129-0572-5.
  12. ^ Max Weber; Richard Swedberg (1999). Essays in economic sociology. Princeton University Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-691-00906-3. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  13. ^ a b c Alan Sica (2004). Max Weber and the new century. Transaction Publishers. pp. 132–. ISBN 978-0-7658-0190-6. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
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