Albert Schweitzer

German polymath

Born: January 14, 1875 · Died: September 4, 1965

Famous Persons

Who was Albert Schweitzer?

Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (German: [ˈalbɛʁt ˈʃvaɪtsɐ] ; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was a German polymath from Alsace. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. As a Lutheran minister, Schweitzer challenged both the secular view of the historical Jesus as depicted by the historical-critical method current at this time, as well as the traditional Christian view. His contributions to the interpretation of Pauline Christianity concern the role of Paul's mysticism of "being in Christ" as primary and the doctrine of justification by faith as secondary. His philosophy was expressed in many ways, but most famously in founding and sustaining the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Lambaréné, French Equatorial Africa (now Gabon). As a music scholar and organist, he studied the music of German composer Johann Sebastian Bach and influenced the Organ Reform Movement (Orgelbewegung).

Schweitzer in 1912. Oil on canvas painting by Émile Schneider, Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

Historical significance

He received the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize for his philosophy of "Reverence for Life".

Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“Albert Schweitzer.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/albert-schweitzer/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

APA

Albert Schweitzer. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/albert-schweitzer/

Chicago

“Albert Schweitzer.” thisDay. Accessed October 19, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/albert-schweitzer/.

Found an error? Let us know.