Bryan McAllister’s personal reference notebook
August 1, 2026Short & citedBlog
Civic Viewpoint.
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Kept by Bryan McAllister — short guides, clear facts, and the Canadian angle when it matters.
People File • Historical

Otto Frank

Otto Frank was a German-born businessman best known as the father of Anne Frank and as the editor and publisher of her diary after the Holocaust.

Updated August 1, 20261 min readCited sources

Otto Frank was a German-born businessman best known as the father of Anne Frank and as the editor and publisher of her diary after the Holocaust. He was the only member of his immediate family to survive the Holocaust and later dedicated much of his life to preserving Anne’s legacy and promoting education about discrimination and human rights.

What it is

Otto Frank was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1889 and worked as a businessman. He and his family went into hiding in Amsterdam in 1942 during the Nazi occupation. After the annex was discovered, the family was deported to Auschwitz; Otto was the only survivor among those in hiding.

Why it matters

After the war, Otto returned to Amsterdam, received Anne’s diary from Miep Gies, and arranged its first publication in 1947. He spent the rest of his life promoting Anne’s legacy, human rights education, and the preservation of the Anne Frank House as a memorial and educational site. His work has shaped Holocaust remembrance worldwide, including in Canadian schools.

Key details

Otto Frank died in August 1980 in Switzerland, at age 91. Sources most commonly give 19 August 1980. He was married to Edith Frank-Holländer and later to Elfriede Geiringer, and had two daughters, Margot and Anne.

In short

  • Otto Frank was Anne Frank’s father and the only immediate family member to survive the Holocaust.
  • He published Anne’s diary in 1947 and worked to preserve her legacy.
  • He helped establish the Anne Frank House and promoted human rights education.
  • He died in Switzerland in August 1980.
Canadian angle

Anne Frank’s diary and Otto Frank’s postwar work are widely studied in Canadian schools and Holocaust education programs, making him a significant figure for Canadian readers interested in history, human rights, and remembrance.

Quick questions

Who was Otto Frank?
Otto Frank was a German-born businessman best known as Anne Frank’s father and as the man who published her diary after the war.
How did Otto Frank survive the Holocaust?
He survived Auschwitz and was liberated in January 1945, then nursed back to health.
What did Otto Frank do after the war?
He returned to Amsterdam, received Anne’s diary, arranged its publication, and worked to preserve her memory through the Anne Frank House and educational efforts.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Frank
    Supports: Birth and death dates; identity as Anne Frank’s father; publication of Anne’s diary; postwar preservation work.
  2. Anne Frank House — https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/main-characters/otto-frank/
    Supports: Otto Frank’s role as Anne’s father, diary publication, and involvement with the Anne Frank House.
  3. Encyclopaedia Britannica — https://www.britannica.com/biography/Otto-Frank
    Supports: Biographical overview; birth and death information; identity as Anne Frank’s father.
  4. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn652082
    Supports: Hiding, deportation, survival, return to Amsterdam, receipt of Anne’s diary, and later human-rights work.
  5. BBC — https://www.bbc.co.uk/annefrank/biogs/ottofrank.shtml
    Supports: Wartime events, survival, remarriage, and death in 1980.
  6. Anne Frank Research Knowledge Base — https://research.annefrank.org/en/personen/5ca6071b-3f13-4d9e-91e7-182bcd994e2f/
    Supports: Birth details, family relationship, diary publication, remarriage, and death in Switzerland.