Karl Marx · James Clerk Maxwell Were Karl Marx and James Clerk Maxwell alive at the same time? Yes. Karl Marx and James Clerk Maxwell were alive at the same time for 48 years, from 1831 to 1879. Karl Marx was 13 when James Clerk Maxwell was born.Karl Marx was 61 when James Clerk Maxwell died, aged 48. Karl MarxGerman-born philosopherBorn 5 May 1818 · died 14 March 1883, aged 64James Clerk MaxwellScottish physicistBorn 13 June 1831 · died 5 November 1879, aged 48 NapoleonAbraham LincolnKarl MarxJames Clerk MaxwellMahatma GandhiVladimir LeninAlbert Einstein Karl Marx and James Clerk Maxwell 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.