Biographical Memoirs V.78

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Biographical Memoirs: VOLUME 78

ROBERT JULIUS TRUMPLER

October 2, 1886–September 10, 1956

BY HAROLD F. WEAVER

ROBERT JULIUS TRUMPLER was born on October 2, 1886, in Zurich, Switzerland. He was the third child in a family of ten children. The Trumpler family, which traced its genealogy back to 1384, was well established and was active in business and manufacturing. A structured family life was regulated by a strict businessman father and was softened by a kind and loving mother. From a very early age the children were encouraged to be industrious, and they engaged in handicrafts that ranged from making puppets to embroidery. School was important and church was a significant activity. All these family characteristics were apparent throughout Trumpler's life.

CHILDHOOD AND EDUCATION

In a quite remarkable autobiographical sketch and self-analysis written before he finished the Gymnasium at age nineteen, Trumpler recounted some of his childhood memories and the succession of interests that occupied him up to that time. The document itself is an indicator of his character. The handwritten manuscript resembles a copper plate engraving. He was a perfectionist.

Growing up in a very large family (and having many cousins and relatives) made friends of secondary importance. Though

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