Biography Walter Brattain was born in Amoy (now Xiamen), Fujian, Qing China, to American parents Ross R. Brattain and Ottilie Houser Brattain. His father was of Scottish descent, while his mother's parents were both immigrants from Stuttgart, Germany. Ross R. Brattain was a teacher at the Ting-Wen Institute, a private school for Chinese boys; Ottilie Houser Brattain was a gifted mathematician. Both were graduates of Whitman College. Ottilie and baby Walter returned to the United States in 1903, and Ross followed shortly afterward. The family lived for several years in Spokane, Washington, then settled on a cattle ranch near Tonasket, Washington in 1911.
Biography Walter Brattain was born in Amoy (now Xiamen), Fujian Qing China, to American parents Ross R. Brattain and Ottilie Houser Brattain. His father was of Scottish descent, while his mother's parents were both immigrants from Stuttgart, Germany. Ross R. Brattain was a teacher at the Ting-Wen Institute a private school for Chinese boys; Ottilie Houser Brattain was a gifted mathematician. Both were graduates of Whitman College. Ottilie and baby Walter returned to the United States in 1903, and Ross followed shortly afterward. The family lived for several years in Spokane, Washington, then settled on a cattle ranch near Tonasket Washington in 1911.