Born
(1876-04-14)14 April 1876
Died
16 June 1936(1936-06-16) (aged 60)
Nationality
German
Occupation
industrialist
Known for
Waldorf school
Spouse
Bertha Molt
Emil Molt (14 April 1876, in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Kingdom of Württemberg – 16 June 1936, in Stuttgart) was a German industrialist, social reformer and anthroposophist. He was the director of the Waldorf-Astoria-Zigarettenfabrik, and with Rudolf Steiner co-founded the first Waldorf school. Hence, Waldorf education was named after the company.
Molt was born in southern Germany and was orphaned as a teenager.[1] He enlisted in the military and worked for Emil Georgii after he was discharged. Georgii's son Emil Jr. hired Molt to work at the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory at Stuttgart. He later became its general manager and owner.[1]
A biography written by Molt's daughter detailed how he purchased the Waldorf Astoria brand name from the tobacconist shop in a New York hotel owned by the Astor family.[2]
Molt's association with Steiner began due to his interest in spirituality, particularly after he signed up as a member of the Theosophical Society in 1906. Steiner was regularly invited to speak in its gatherings.[3] The industrialist also became a follower of Steiner's esoteric philosophy called anthroposophy.
After World War I people believed it was possible to initiate new social arrangements.[4] One of them was Molt, who decided to address the educational needs of his factory workers and their children.[4] For this initiative, he was drawn to Steiner's holistic proposition in education, which holds that teaching must attend to multiple aspects of human experience.[5] Following a series of consultations, Molt and Steiner founded the Waldorf school after gaining the approval of the German Minister of Culture.[1] It opened in September 1919 in Stuttgart, Germany.[6] Molt bought the Uhlandeshohe Restaurant as the school's first building and altered it according to Steiner's specifications.[7] The adjoining properties were later purchased as the school expanded.[7] The Waldorf School opened with twelve teachers.[8] Initially, there were 150 students who were chosen from proletarian families and with parents who belong to the Anthroposophical Society.[9]
Waldorf schools became the largest independent school movement in the world.[10][11]
International
National
People
