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They may not be as rich, but they were genetically up there with doctors and lawyers or upper management and other elite hired white collar professionals who are considered as lower-to-middle upper class. That is my whole point. I'd say it is culturally upper class similarly to composers or musical virtuosos and other gentlemen who exhibited enough brilliance that upper-upper class wanted to be around them and even marry them. There is similar story with Henri Pointcare for math - he was born into low upper class or maybe upper middle class according to your evaluation - with his mother being daughter of minor industrialist and father being professor of Medicine. Throughout his life Pointcare was rubbing elbows with the most influential politicians and elites. Niels Bohr had almost the same situation - father was professor at university and mother was daughter of Jewish banker. Bohr was also highly influential and definitely upper class when it comes to his contacts and power.
But in the end it is besides the point, I think you got the gist of the argument. There is a difference between rich family impoverished by revolution or relocated by Hitler, Stalin or some other pogrom, or even stricken hard by string of bad luck such as health issue, gambling or other addiction - and a true low class of literal inbred morons.
Doctors used to be and top lawyers are OWNERS. Math professors are not. That's why math professors aren't upper class.
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