Gustave Alexandre Eiffel was born in Dijon, France on December 15, 1832 to a family known for fine craftwork of wood and merchants of coal. Eiffel began his education at the Licee Royal de Dijon and later attended the College Sainte-Barbe in Paris. Eiffel studied chemistry at the Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in the hopes of continuing the business of a vinegar distillery owned by his uncle. He graduated in 1832. In 1862 Eiffel married Marie Gaudelet and together they had five children. She died of pneumonia fifteen years later and Eiffel never remarried. Aside from his architectural and engineering achievements, he published 31 books and was the recipient of several awards for his design innovation.
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