Amalie Raiffeisen

Amalie Raiffeisen (2 August 1846 – 11 January 1897) was a German social reformer.

By the 1860s, her father, Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen, was almost blind. By handling his correspondence with him she was indispensable in his creation of the Cooperative movement in Germany.

She grew up in a religious family and was educated according to the social precepts of the time, accepting that even after reaching adulthood it was her duty to respect her father's wishes. These involved shunning marriage in order to stay by her father's side and help him in his work. After Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen eventually died, in 1888, she continued to work for the Cooperative movement. From 1892 until her own death, she was the only surviving family member with shares in the undertaking.

Life

Childhood

Amalie Justine Caroline Raiffeisen was born early in the morning at the family home in Weyerbusch, a small town near Altenkirchen, roughly 50 km/30 miles to the north of Koblenz. She was the eldest of her parents' seven recorded children. Her father, Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen, was the mayor of the little town. Almost thirty years after Amalie's birth her father recalled the day in a letter, describing how during the birth he had sat in the garden thanking God for this gift and at the same time asking for His blessings on the child's behalf. When the children were small their education was entrusted to their mother, Emilie. It was only when they were a little older that their father, who already had a busy work schedule, joined in the task. For the parents it was important that their children led a well ordered and properly scheduled day-to-day life. As soon as she was old enough, Amalie was required to submit, each evening, a work plan for the following day, with "Free hours" to be determined by her father. If she was staying away from home with relatives or friends, she was required to produce similar daily agendas for days away. the salary he received for his duties as a small-town mayor was barely enough to support his large family, so that conspicuous consumption and luxuries were not possible. Amalie's childhood was also defined by the chronic poor health of her parents. Her father had already, in 1843, been turned down for military service because of his failing eye-sight, and despite regularly taking "cures", his vision continued to deteriorate. Her mother suffered from chronic heart problems, possibly on account of seven difficult home births. After the birth of her youngest child (who died in infancy) in 1859, doctors who were consulted concluded that she would never recover her health, and she died on 27 July 1863. That same year Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen drew up his own will: still not fully recovered from a savage attack of typhoid fever, he was evidently mindful that the children might be entirely orphaned at an early age.

Celebration and commemoration Amalie Raiffeisen was a recipient of the Cross of Merit for Women and Girls ("Ehrenkreuz für Frauen und Jungfrauen").

Although there are numerous references to her in biographical works on her father, the first published biographical research to focus on Amalie Raiffesen was produced by and first appeared only in 1995.