Emil Molt


Emil Molt 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.

Background

Molt was born in southern Germany and was orphaned as a teenager. He enlisted in the military and worked for Emil Georgii after he was discharged. Georgii's son Emil Jr. hired Molt to work at Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory at Stuttgart. He later became its general manager and owner.
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.

Waldorf school

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. The industrialist also became a follower of Steiner's esoteric philosophy called anthrosophy.
After World War I people believed it was possible to initiate new social arrangements. It was the same for Molt who decided to address the educational needs of his factory workers and their children. 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. Following a series of consultations, Molt and Steiner founded the Waldorf school after meeting and seeking the approval of the German minister of culture in May 1919. Molt bought the Uhlandeshohe Restaurant as school's first school building and altered it according to Steiner's specifications. The adjoining properties were later purchased as the school expanded. The Waldorf School opened with twelve teachers.
Waldorf school became the largest independent school movement in the world.