Karl Marx · Ernest Rutherford Were Karl Marx and Ernest Rutherford alive at the same time? Yes. Karl Marx and Ernest Rutherford were alive at the same time for 11 years, from 1871 to 1883. Karl Marx was 53 when Ernest Rutherford was born.Ernest Rutherford was 11 when Karl Marx died, aged 64. Karl MarxGerman-born philosopherBorn 5 May 1818 · died 14 March 1883, aged 64Ernest RutherfordNew Zealand physicistBorn 30 August 1871 · died 19 October 1937, aged 66 NapoleonAbraham LincolnKarl MarxMahatma GandhiVladimir LeninErnest RutherfordAlbert EinsteinAdolf HitlerRonald Reagan Karl Marx and Ernest Rutherford in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.