Erwin Friedrich Baumann was born in 1890 in Berne as the second of four children of the master builder and politician Friedrich Baumann (1835–1910) and Marie-Louise Baumann-Bigler (1856–1937). Erwin Friedrich Baumann est né en 1890 à Berne, deuxième de quatre enfants du chef d’entreprise de construction et politicien Friedrich Baumann (1835–1910) et Marie-Louise Baumann-Bigler (1856–1937).