Editing Hermann Josef Abs (section)

==Early Life and Education==
Hermann Josef Abs was born on October 15, 1901, in Bonn, Germany, into a devout Catholic family. His father, Josef Abs, was a lawyer and board member of a lignite mining company, while his mother, Katharina Lückerath, came from a textile manufacturing family. The Abs family, originally rooted in farming and weaving, had risen to the professional middle class. Hermann, the youngest of three sons, lost both brothers during World War I. Initially drawn to music (he played piano and harpsichord) and mathematics, he was persuaded against academic pursuits by his teachers. Instead, after graduating from the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Gymnasium in Bonn, he began a banking apprenticeship at the Jewish-owned Louis David private bank in Bonn, where his potential was recognized early. He briefly attended evening courses in law and economics at the University of Bonn and Cologne but prioritized practical experience over formal degrees.