He was born into a large family, being his father's sixth child (two of the children were from his first marriage to Mathilde Voigt), and he was brought up in a tradition which greatly respected scholarship, honesty, fairness, and generosity.
Siya ay ipinanganak sa isang malaking pamilya, na kanyang ama-anim anak (dalawang ng mga bata ay mula sa kanyang unang kasal sa Mathilde Voigt), at siya ay nagdala sa isang tradisyon na pinagpipitagan scholarship, katapatan, katarungan, at kabutihang-loob.