Here is the person biography of Axel Springer:
Axel Springer was born in Hamburg, Germany. He grew up with his parents and completed an apprenticeship as a printer at his father's publishing house. He later worked at Schröder's Sieler & Vogel paper mills in Hamburg and Leipzig. Springer married twice, first to Martha Else Meyer and then to Erna Frieda Berta Holm (née Sexton). He had two children, Barbara and Axel, with his second wife.
Springer founded Axel Springer Verlags GmbH in 1947 and published the first non-partisan newspaper approved by the authorities in Hamburg. He developed the tabloid format of the BILD-Zeitung in 1952 and bought several English-owned newspapers in 1953. Springer made his first external acquisition with a stake in Berlin's Ullstein-Verlag in 1956.
In 1962, Springer married Helga Alsen, née Ludewig-Sarre, and had two more children, Raimund and Nikolaus. He expanded his publishing program by buying several magazines and newspapers, including the youth magazine Bravo, the football magazine Kicker, and the Munich publishing house Kindler & Schiermeyer.
Springer was a prominent figure in German media and politics. He was criticized by students and intellectuals for his perceived misuse of media power and his support of conservative and right-wing causes. Springer responded by publishing four principles that were henceforth binding for all editors at Springer Verlag.
In the 1970s, Springer's publishing house was the target of several attacks, including a bomb attack on the Springer high-rise in Hamburg and an arson attack on his guest house in Kampen. Springer was also criticized for his handling of the student movement and his support of the police and the government.
In the 1980s, Springer began to withdraw from business life and sold shares in his company to Burda-Verlag. He was honored with several awards, including the Konrad Adenauer Prize and the title "Keeper of Jerusalem". Springer died in 1985 at the age of 77.
