Who Is Otto Frank?

First, Otto Frank was a successful businessman, prior to marrying his first wife, Edith. Otto Frank, father of Anne Frank, was born on May 12, 1889 in Frankfurt, Germany. He was born a Liberal Jew and had three siblings, Herbert, Robert, and Helen Frank. Otto’s father, Michael, ran the family bank while Otto and his siblings were growing up. “After graduating from high school, Frank spent a summer studying art history at the University of Heidelberg” (A&E Television Networks, 1). Once the summer was over, Otto left the University and worked at a local bank for one year. In 1909, Otto’s father, Michael passed away from old age, and Otto ran quickly home for his funeral. When World War One started, Otto manufactured horseshoes for the Germans. Then, when the war …show more content…
Otto and Edith Frank were wed on May 12, 1925, also on Otto’s birthday. Their first child, Margot, was born February 12, 1926. Their younger daughter, Anne, was born on June 12, 1929. In 1933, Otto Frank moved himself to Amsterdam where he started a small, but prosperous company, selling an ingredient to make jam. In 1934, after living with their grandmother, Anne, Margot, and their mother moved to Amsterdam so they could be with Otto. According to History.com Staff, “In May 1940, the Germans, who had entered World War II in September of the previous year, invaded the netherlands and quickly made life increasingly restrictive and dangerous for the Jewish people there,” (1). Then, Jews could not run businesses at that time, forcing Otto to give up his new business, over to his Dutch colleagues. In July 1942, Margot Frank got a letter, instructing her to report to a work camp in Germany. Scaring the Frank family, they panicked and went into hiding in a small apartment behind Otto’s old business. To sum up, the Frank family had a very nice, easy begining life, but it took an ugly turn soon