George Philip Gein is remembered primarily because he was the father of Ed Gein, the Wisconsin criminal whose case became one of the most notorious in American true-crime history. Yet George’s own life was largely ordinary and centered on work, marriage, family responsibilities, and rural life in Wisconsin.
Table of Contents
- Who Was George Philip Gein?
- George Philip Gein’s Early Life
- George Gein’s Family Background
- George Philip Gein’s Career and Work
- George and Augusta Wilhelmine Lehrke’s Marriage
- George Philip Gein’s Children
- Henry George Gein
- Edward Theodore “Ed” Gein
- The Gein Family’s Move to Plainfield
- George Philip Gein’s Relationship With Ed Gein
- Was George Philip Gein an Alcoholic?
- Claims About Abuse in the Gein Household
- What Happened to George Philip Gein?
- George Philip Gein’s Death and Cause of Death
- Where Was George Philip Gein Buried?
- George Philip Gein’s Net Worth
- George Philip Gein in Monster: The Ed Gein Story
- George Philip Gein’s Legacy
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Final Thoughts
Born in 1873, George spent his adult years working in several occupations. Historical records associate him with railroad labor, industrial work, grocery retail, and farming. He married Augusta Wilhelmine Lehrke in 1900, and they later became the parents of two sons, Henry and Edward Theodore Gein.
George’s family life has attracted considerable attention because of what happened to Ed decades later. Accounts of the Gein household frequently describe George as a heavy drinker, while Augusta was portrayed as a deeply religious and strict mother. Their contrasting personalities contributed to a difficult home environment.
George died in 1940 at the age of 66, well before Ed’s criminal activities were discovered. His death has generally been attributed to heart failure.
George Philip Gein at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | George Philip Gein |
| Common Name | George P. Gein |
| Born | August 4, 1873 |
| Birthplace | Wisconsin, United States |
| Died | April 1, 1940 |
| Age at Death | 66 |
| Nationality | American |
| Heritage | German-American |
| Wife | Augusta Wilhelmine Lehrke |
| Marriage | 1900 |
| Children | Henry George Gein and Edward Theodore Gein |
| Occupations | Laborer, grocer, farmer, tradesman |
| Best Known For | Being Ed Gein’s father |
| Reported Cause of Death | Heart failure |
| Burial | Plainfield Cemetery, Wisconsin |
| Net Worth | Not publicly documented |
Who Was George Philip Gein?
George Philip Gein was a Wisconsin working man who spent much of his life supporting his family through different forms of employment. He later became known to the public because of his connection to Ed Gein rather than because of anything that made him famous during his lifetime.
Before his family became associated with one of America’s best-known criminal cases, George lived a relatively conventional working-class life. He held several jobs and eventually became connected with farming near Plainfield, Wisconsin.
His family background received renewed attention after Ed’s crimes were uncovered in 1957. Writers and researchers began examining Ed’s childhood, parents, upbringing, and home environment. As a result, George became part of the larger story surrounding the Gein family.
George Philip Gein’s Early Years
George was born on August 4, 1873, in Wisconsin. Historical references do not always agree on the precise location of his birth, with some records connecting him to communities in Vernon County.
Information about George’s childhood is considerably more limited than the material available about his later family life. He was born during a period when many Wisconsin families depended on agricultural, industrial, and manual labor.
His early education, childhood circumstances, and parents are not documented consistently enough to present every detail as certain. Some later accounts reportedly described George as having been orphaned, while genealogy sources provide varying information about his parentage.
For that reason, his early biography is best presented with caution rather than filling gaps with unsupported details.
George Gein’s Family Background
George’s ancestry is generally associated with the German-American community of Wisconsin. Augusta Lehrke also came from a German-American background, making their family part of a broader immigrant-descended population that was well established in the state.
The identities of George’s parents are less certain than the details of his own marriage and children. Genealogical sources do not always agree, and some online biographies repeat family information without providing strong primary documentation.
What is much clearer is that George spent his adult life in Wisconsin and established his own household there with Augusta.
George Gein’s Work in La Crosse
During his years in La Crosse, Wisconsin, George worked in several different positions. Historical city directories provide evidence of employment connected with the railroad and other local industries.
At one point, he was listed as a section hand for the Milwaukee Road, placing him within the railroad workforce. Other records connect him with tannery labor and employment with the La Crosse Gas Company.
These records show that George was not limited to one career. He moved between physically demanding jobs as his circumstances changed.
This working history adds useful context to his biography because many modern references focus almost exclusively on his relationship with Ed Gein.
Was George Gein a Carpenter?
George is sometimes described in biographies as a carpenter or tradesman. Carpentry appears in accounts of his working life, although historical directories provide evidence of several other occupations as well.
Some sources have also associated him with insurance work. Because descriptions of his employment differ between sources, it is safer to describe George broadly as a working-class laborer and tradesman who held multiple jobs.
His career should not be reduced to one occupation when the available historical material points to a more varied employment history.
George and Augusta’s Grocery Business
By 1910, George was associated with the grocery trade. Census information identified him as a retail grocery dealer while the family was living in La Crosse.
This period is important because it shows that the Gein family did not begin its life in complete rural isolation. Before settling on the Plainfield-area farm, George and his family had lived in a more populated community and had been involved in ordinary local commerce.
The grocery business was one of several ways George attempted to provide for his household.
George Philip Gein and Augusta Lehrke
George Philip Gein married Augusta Wilhelmine Lehrke on December 11, 1900. Their marriage connected two Wisconsin families with German-American roots.
The couple remained together until George’s death in 1940. They had two sons, Henry George Gein and Edward Theodore Gein.
Later biographies portray the marriage as troubled. Augusta was described as extremely religious and strict, while George was frequently characterized as a heavy drinker. Their very different personalities reportedly created tension within the household.
Claims of Abuse in the Gein Household
Some later accounts describe George as verbally and physically abusive toward his sons. These claims appear primarily in biographies and retrospective accounts written after Ed became notorious.
Such descriptions contribute to the picture of an unstable family environment, but they should be presented as reported accounts rather than exaggerated into unsupported claims.
The Gein household was influenced by several factors, including George’s drinking, Augusta’s strict religious beliefs, and the family’s relative isolation after moving to their farm.
George Philip Gein’s Children
George and Augusta had two sons:
Henry George Gein was the older son, while Edward Theodore Gein, better known as Ed Gein, was the younger.
Both boys spent much of their childhood in Wisconsin and eventually lived with their parents on the family farm near Plainfield.
Their adult lives took very different paths, although both became part of the historical story surrounding the Gein family.
Henry George Gein
Henry was George and Augusta’s older son. He worked on the family farm and later became increasingly critical of the household’s strict environment.
Henry died in 1944, four years after his father. His death occurred after a brush fire near the family property.
The official circumstances were treated as accidental, although later writers questioned whether Ed might have been responsible. No murder conviction or charge established that Ed killed Henry, so claims about his death should not be presented as proven fact.
George had already died by that time and therefore never witnessed the circumstances surrounding his older son’s death.
Edward Theodore “Ed” Gein
The younger son, Edward Theodore Gein, was born on August 27, 1906, in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Ed later became notorious after authorities uncovered evidence of grave robbing and the murders of two women. Investigators also discovered human remains and objects made from human body parts at his Plainfield property.
The case eventually influenced popular horror fiction and helped inspire characters associated with works such as Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs.
George, however, did not live long enough to know about any of these crimes. He died in 1940, approximately 17 years before Ed was arrested.
The Family’s Move to Plainfield
The Gein family eventually left La Crosse and relocated to rural Wisconsin. Around 1914, they purchased a farm near Plainfield.
The property reportedly covered approximately 155 acres and became the long-term home of the family.
The move played an important role in Ed’s childhood. Augusta wanted her sons away from what she considered negative outside influences, and rural isolation became a major feature of their upbringing.
The farm later became closely associated with the Gein case after investigators discovered disturbing evidence there in 1957.
George Gein’s Life as a Farmer
After the family settled near Plainfield, farming became an important part of George’s working life.
Census records from the 1920 and 1930 periods identify him as a farmer. His son Henry also worked on the property.
The farm provided the family with both a home and a source of livelihood. George remained associated with agricultural work until his health declined.
George Gein’s Relationship With Ed
Accounts of George and Ed’s relationship generally portray it as distant and difficult. Augusta appears to have exercised considerably more influence over Ed’s upbringing.
George was often remembered primarily for his drinking, while Augusta’s religious beliefs strongly shaped the family’s daily life.
Later writers sometimes attempt to connect these childhood circumstances directly to Ed’s criminal behavior. Such explanations should be treated carefully. There is no simple historical formula showing that George’s behavior caused Ed’s later crimes.
The available evidence supports describing the household as troubled without claiming that one parent alone determined Ed’s future.
Was George Gein Connected to Ed Gein’s Crimes?
There is no evidence that George Philip Gein participated in Ed Gein’s murders or grave-robbing activities.
The timeline alone is significant. George died in 1940, while Ed’s known criminal activities came to light years later. Ed was arrested in 1957.
George therefore belongs in the story as Ed’s father and as part of his childhood family background, not as an accomplice.
George Philip Gein’s Final Years
George’s health reportedly deteriorated during the later part of his life. Some historical accounts describe him as a semi-invalid, suggesting that illness had limited his physical abilities.
He continued living with his family near Plainfield while his sons increasingly took responsibility for farm work.
By the end of his life, George had already spent decades working in different occupations and raising his family. He died before the tragic events that would later make the Gein name widely known.
When Did George Philip Gein Die?
George Philip Gein died in 1940, at approximately 66 years of age.
Several references have circulated different dates, but April 1, 1940 is commonly given in genealogical and biographical records.
His death occurred in Wisconsin, years before Ed Gein’s crimes became public.
What Was George Philip Gein’s Cause of Death?
George’s reported cause of death was heart failure.
Because detailed medical records from his final illness are not widely available, it is better not to add an unsupported explanation about what caused his heart condition.
In particular, claims that his drinking directly caused his death should not be stated as a confirmed medical fact unless supported by medical documentation.
George Philip Gein’s Obituary
A complete original newspaper obituary for George is not readily available in widely accessible online sources. Modern biographies therefore generally rely on census records, genealogy material, city directories, and later accounts to reconstruct his life.
What is established is that George died in Wisconsin in 1940 and was survived by his wife Augusta and sons Henry and Ed.
At the time of his death, there was nothing to suggest that his family name would later become associated with one of America’s most notorious criminal cases.
Where Was George Gein Buried?
George was buried at Plainfield Cemetery in Wisconsin.
Other members of the Gein family were eventually buried in the same cemetery. Augusta died in 1945, while Ed died in 1984 after spending decades in psychiatric institutions.
The cemetery later became connected with public fascination surrounding the Gein case, although George’s own life had ended long before the family’s notoriety began.
What Happened to the Family After George Died?
George’s death was followed by several major changes in the Gein family.
His older son Henry died in 1944, and Augusta died the following year in 1945. These deaths left Ed increasingly isolated on the family farm.
Ed’s later criminal activities took place after these family losses. By the time authorities discovered what had happened at the property, both George and Augusta had been dead for years.
George Philip Gein’s Net Worth
There is no reliable historical figure for George Philip Gein’s net worth.
George worked throughout his adult life in occupations including railroad labor, industrial work, grocery retail, and farming. The family also owned a farm near Plainfield, but ownership of that property does not provide enough evidence to calculate his personal wealth.
Modern estimates that assign him a specific net worth are therefore speculative.
The most accurate description is simply that George’s personal net worth is not publicly documented.
George Philip Gein in Monster: The Ed Gein Story
George’s story has received renewed attention through dramatizations of the Ed Gein case, including Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story.
The series presents the Gein family through a dramatic interpretation rather than as a documentary record. Scenes involving George, Augusta, and their children may therefore combine historical information with fictionalized dialogue and storytelling.
Viewers should distinguish between what a television production depicts and what historical documents establish.
Why Is George Philip Gein Famous?
George became famous only indirectly.
During his lifetime, he was a Wisconsin laborer, tradesman, husband, and father. He did not become a public figure and did not commit the crimes that later made the Gein surname notorious.
His modern recognition comes almost entirely from being Ed Gein’s father.
Researchers interested in Ed’s childhood naturally examine his parents, family environment, upbringing, and home life. This has kept George’s name connected to books, documentaries, biographies, and dramatizations about Ed.
His story is therefore best understood as part of the historical background of the Gein family rather than as a criminal biography of its own.
Lesser-Known Facts About George Philip Gein
- George Philip Gein was born in Wisconsin in 1873.
- His exact birthplace is reported as either Bergen or Coon Valley in Vernon County.
- He married Augusta Wilhelmine Lehrke in 1900.
- George worked in several occupations before becoming a farmer.
- Historical records connect him with railroad, tannery, gas-company, grocery, and agricultural work.
- He and Augusta had two sons, Henry and Ed.
- The family lived in La Crosse before moving to a rural farm near Plainfield.
- George was widely described as having a serious drinking problem.
- Later accounts also describe him as abusive toward his sons.
- He died from heart failure in 1940.
- George never knew about Ed’s later murders or grave robbing.
- He was buried in Plainfield Cemetery.
- His life has received renewed attention because of dramatizations about Ed Gein.
Frequently Asked Questions About George Philip Gein
When was George Philip Gein born?
He was born on August 4, 1873, in Wisconsin.
Where was George Philip Gein born?
Historical sources differ between Bergen and Coon Valley, both in the broader Vernon County area of Wisconsin.
Who was George Gein’s wife?
George Philip Gein married Augusta Wilhelmine Lehrke on December 11, 1900.
How many children did George Philip Gein have?
George and Augusta had two sons: Henry George Gein and Edward Theodore “Ed” Gein.
What did George Gein do for a living?
George held several jobs. Historical records connect him with railroad work, tannery labor, gas-company work, grocery retail, and farming. Carpentry is also widely reported.
Was George Gein an alcoholic?
Later biographies consistently describe George as a heavy drinker who struggled with alcoholism.
Was George Gein abusive?
Later accounts of Ed Gein’s childhood describe George as physically and verbally abusive toward his sons, although most of those descriptions were recorded after his death.
Did George Gein know about Ed Gein’s crimes?
No. George died in 1940, years before Ed’s known murders and grave-robbing activities.
When did George Philip Gein die?
George died on April 1, 1940.
How old was George Philip Gein when he died?
He was 66 years old.
What was George Philip Gein’s cause of death?
His reported cause of death was heart failure.
Where was George Gein buried?
He was buried at Plainfield Cemetery in Wisconsin.
What was George Philip Gein’s net worth?
His net worth was never publicly documented. He lived primarily as a working-class tradesman, grocer, and farmer.
Who plays George Gein in Monster?
Actor Darin Cooper portrays George Philip Gein in Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story.
Final Thoughts
George Philip Gein’s name is remembered because of his son, but his own life was far removed from the crimes that later made the Gein family infamous.
He was born in Wisconsin in 1873 and spent decades moving through working-class jobs before settling into farming near Plainfield. He married Augusta Lehrke in 1900, and together they raised Henry and Ed Gein.
Their household was troubled.
Augusta’s extreme religious beliefs clashed with George’s reported alcoholism, and later accounts describe him as an unstable and sometimes abusive father.
Still, George was not involved in Ed Gein’s crimes and never lived to see them.
He died from heart failure in April 1940, 17 years before Ed’s arrest brought investigators to the Plainfield farm.
Today, George Philip Gein is best understood not as part of Ed’s criminal activity, but as one figure in the difficult family environment that preceded it. His documented life as a railroad worker, tannery laborer, gas-company employee, grocer, farmer, husband, and father provides a more complete picture than the simplified image often seen in true-crime dramatizations.
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