▁Ohio . ▁Rich ter ▁had ▁German ▁her itage : ▁his ▁great - grand father ▁came ▁from ▁Baden - B aden ▁( B aden - W ür ttemberg , ▁Germany ) ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 8 ▁due ▁to ▁political ▁inst ability . ▁Rich ter ' s ▁parents ▁Frederick ▁William ▁and ▁L ill ian ▁Anna ▁( K ins inger ) ▁Rich ter , ▁were ▁divor ced ▁when ▁he ▁was ▁very ▁young . ▁He ▁grew ▁up ▁with ▁his ▁mat ernal ▁grand father , ▁who ▁moved ▁the ▁family ▁( including ▁his ▁mother ) ▁to ▁Los ▁Angeles ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 9 . ▁After ▁gradu ating ▁from ▁Los ▁Angeles ▁High ▁School ▁he ▁attended ▁Stan ford ▁University ▁and ▁received ▁his ▁under grad uate ▁degree ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 0 . ▁In ▁ 1 9 2 8 , ▁he ▁began ▁work ▁on ▁his ▁Ph D ▁in ▁theoretical ▁physics ▁from ▁the ▁California ▁Institute ▁of ▁Technology , ▁but , ▁before ▁he ▁finished ▁it , ▁he ▁was ▁offered ▁a ▁position ▁at ▁the ▁Car neg ie ▁Institute ▁of ▁Washington . ▁At ▁this ▁point , ▁he ▁became ▁fasc in ated ▁with ▁se ism ology ▁( the ▁study ▁of ▁earth qu akes ▁and ▁the ▁waves ▁they ▁produce ▁in ▁the ▁earth ). ▁There after , ▁he ▁worked ▁at ▁the ▁new ▁Se ism ological ▁Labor atory ▁in ▁Pas ad ena , ▁under ▁the ▁direction ▁of ▁Ben o ▁G uten berg . ▁In ▁ 1 9 3 2 , ▁Rich ter ▁and ▁G uten berg ▁developed ▁a ▁standard ▁scale ▁to ▁measure ▁the ▁relative ▁sizes ▁of ▁earth