Alois Hitler
An Austrian customs official whose life is defined almost entirely by his infamous son, a figure of historical curiosity rather than accomplishment.
1837–1903 (age 66)·Father of Adolf Hitler·Birthday: June 7
Biography
Alois Hitler was born Alois Schicklgruber, the illegitimate son of a maid, in the rural Waldviertel region of Austria. He built a stable career as a mid-level customs official, a position of some respect in the Habsburg bureaucracy, and married three times. His third wife, Klara Pölzl, was his much younger cousin, for whom he secured a papal dispensation to wed. A stern, authoritarian figure, he retired to a small farm in Leonding, where he clashed frequently with his dreamy, artistic son Adolf, who rejected his father's desire for him to join the civil service. Alois died suddenly in 1903, leaving his family a modest pension. His historical footprint is a shadow cast by the monstrous legacy of his child, making him a perennial subject of speculation about the roots of tyranny.
#1 When Alois Was Born
The biggest hits of 1837
Alois's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1837Born
1842Started school
1850Became a teenager
1853Could drive
1855Could vote
1858Turned 21
1867Turned 30
President: Andrew Johnson
1877Turned 40
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1887Turned 50
President: Grover Cleveland
1897Turned 60
President: William McKinley
1903Died at 66
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
Key Achievements
- Rose from an illegitimate birth to a secure position as a *Zollamtsoffizial* (customs officer) in the Austrian civil service.
- Secured a papal dispensation to marry his cousin, Klara Pölzl, who would become Adolf Hitler's mother.
- His death in 1903 left his widow and children a government pension that supported young Adolf for a few crucial years.
Did You Know?
He was born with the surname Schicklgruber and legally changed it to 'Hitler' (a variant of his father's name, Hiedler) in 1876.
He was 51 when his son Adolf was born, and he had children from his two previous marriages.
He retired at 58 and spent his final years beekeeping on a small farm near Linz.
“A customs official must be as precise as the stamps in his ledger.”
