In 1933, exiled from his home in Germany, Einstein had many options for where to live. Why he chose Princeton has much to do with Oswald Veblen’s leadership in building Princeton’s math department, and his founding vision for the Institute for Advanced Study. From Einstein’s first office in Old Fine Hall to meditative walks with brilliant colleagues at the Institute Woods—Veblen had been setting the stage for Einstein’s arrival since first coming to Princeton in 1905. Relevant to current events, the talk will touch on Veblen’s initiatives to find homes for many other European scholars displaced by the Nazis, and his founding role in integrating nature into Princeton’s intellectual and communal life. Without Oswald Veblen, Princeton would have no Institute for Advanced Study, no Institute Woods, no Old Fine Hall, no Herrontown Woods, and no Einstein. Steve Hiltner presents research on the behindthe- scenes influence Veblen, and later Einstein, had on the trajectory of Princeton and the Institute for Advanced Study.