#7 Albert and Elsa Einstein
Considered one of the smartest men alive, you would not think that Albert Einstein would have married someone related to him. Yet, here we are, as he did, in fact, marry his cousin, but it also gets complicated. Elsa Einstein was not only his first cousin on his mother’s side, but she was also his second cousin on his father’s side! Talk about multiple degrees of being related.
They had known each other since they were children, having spent their summers together until Albert moved to Milan when they were teenagers. Having no connection afterward, Elsa married a textile trader by the name of Max Lowenthal, with whom she had three kids, out of which only two made it past infancy. Eventually, they divorced, and she moved with her daughters back to Berlin, where she was reintroduced to her cousin Albert.
At that time, Albert was married to his first wife, Mileva Maric, but this did not stop the two from falling in love. After Albert divorced Mileva, he and Elsa got married within three months!
4 thoughts on “9 Famous People Who Were Related and Still Got Married”
It has been documented that Jefferson and his slave Hemmings were in love. It is not fair to say he abused her. She was half sister to his former wife.
Any couple related or not, also is at risk of having a child with genetic conditions or health problems! Although taboo in some cultures, marriage between first cousins is accepted in many cultures around the world. The vast majority of children of first cousins are healthy and do not have problems due to their parents’ relatedness. It is important to keep in mind that even for an unrelated couple, there is an approximately 2-3% chance that their child is born with a birth defect, genetic syndrome, or disability.
The risk for children of first cousins is increased over this background, by about 3%. ( Not enough to forbid or look down upon )
The above information is from the “Genetic Awareness Project”
Another note of fact: Mary and Joseph were first cousins…. and though Jesus supposedly was immaculately conceived his siblings were definitely born of Mary and Joseph. If G-d sanctioned their marriage then who are we to say that such marriages are taboo?
You missed another famous couple who were cousins. FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt..
The outlaw Jesse James married his first cousin, Zerelda Mimms. She tended to his wounds from the Civil War.