Maximilian (Maximilien) Delphinius Berlitz (April 14, 1852 – April 6, 1921) was a linguist and the founder of the Berlitz Language Schools, the first of which he established in 1878 in Providence, Rhode Island. Born David Berlitzheimer of Jewish parents in Mühringen, Württemberg, Germany, he and his sister were soon orphaned, and he grew up in a family of educators in the Black Forest. Berlitz was required by law to serve as an apprentice; he chose to work for a watchmaker for three years.