Richard Feynman Family Tree: The Story Behind QED's Nobel Laureate

Richard Phillips Feynman, born 11 May 1918 in Queens, New York City, USA, won the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics for quantum electrodynamics (with Schwinger and Tomonaga). Caltech professor (1951–1988); member of the Manhattan Project team at Los Alamos; member of the Rogers Commission investigating the 1986 Challenger disaster. Died 15 February 1988.

The Family's Roots: An Eastern European Jewish New York Family

The Feynman family was Lithuanian-Polish Jewish, settled in Far Rockaway, Queens.

His Parents

Father: Melville Arthur Feynman (1890–1946) — uniform sales manager; from Minsk, Belarus (then Russian Empire); had wanted to be a doctor but supported the family.

Mother: Lucille Phillips Feynman (1895–1981) — homemaker; the family's spark of humour and warmth.

His Sister: Joan Feynman

Joan Feynman (1927–2020) — Richard's younger sister; astrophysicist; specialist in the solar wind; NASA scientist (JPL); promoted by Richard from childhood to pursue physics.

His First Wife: Arline Greenbaum

Arline Greenbaum Feynman (1914–1945) — Richard's high-school sweetheart; married him in June 1942 while she was already terminally ill with tuberculosis; she died 16 June 1945 during the Manhattan Project. Their love story formed the basis of the film Infinity (1996).

His Second Wife: Mary Louise Bell

Mary Louise "Mary Lou" Bell — Richard's second wife from 1952 to 1958.

His Third Wife: Gweneth Howarth

Gweneth Howarth Feynman (1934–1989) — British; Richard's third wife from September 1960 until his death in 1988.

Their Children

Carl Feynman, born 1962 — son with Gweneth; computer scientist (Thinking Machines).

Michelle Feynman, born 1968 — adopted daughter with Gweneth; photographer.

The Feynman Family Tree at a Glance

Family Origins: Lithuanian-Polish Jewish; Far Rockaway, Queens.

Father: Melville A. Feynman (1890–1946) — uniform sales manager.

Mother: Lucille Phillips Feynman (1895–1981).

Sister: Joan Feynman (1927–2020) — NASA astrophysicist.

First Wife: Arline Greenbaum (1914–1945; m. June 1942; died of TB June 1945).

Second Wife: Mary Louise Bell (m. 1952, div. 1958).

Third Wife: Gweneth Howarth (1934–1989; m. September 1960 until his death).

Children: Carl (b. 1962) — computer scientist; Michelle (b. 1968, adopted) — photographer.

Richard Feynman:

  • Born 11 May 1918, Queens
  • MIT (BSc 1939); Princeton (PhD Physics 1942)
  • Manhattan Project: Princeton + Los Alamos (1943–1945)
  • Cornell University (1945–1950); Caltech (1951–1988) — Richard Chace Tolman Professor
  • Feynman Lectures on Physics (1963)
  • 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics — QED; shared with Schwinger and Tomonaga
  • Rogers Commission (1986): famously demonstrated O-ring brittleness in a glass of ice water
  • Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (1985); What Do You Care What Other People Think? (1988)
  • Died 15 February 1988, Los Angeles

What the Feynman Family Story Teaches Us

A father who wanted to be a doctor but became a uniform salesman — and pushed Richard toward science from his earliest years. A homemaker mother who supplied humour. A sister Richard encouraged into astrophysics — who became a NASA scientist. Three marriages — the first ending in his young wife's death from TB during the Manhattan Project. Two children, one adopted.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Feynman story carries the same lesson. The father's deferred dream often becomes the son's career. Melville Feynman wanted to be a doctor; Richard became one of physics' great names. Write down what each parent wanted to do — and what their children actually did.

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