Eugen Schiffer (14 February 1860 – 5 September 1954) was a German lawyer and
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
politician. He served as
Minister of Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
and
deputy head of government from February to April 1919. From October 1919 to March 1920, he was again deputy head of government and
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
. In 1921, he once more became Minister of Justice. Schiffer was co-founder of two liberal parties, the
German Democratic Party
The German Democratic Party (, or DDP) was a center-left liberal party in the Weimar Republic. Along with the German People's Party (, or DVP), it represented political liberalism in Germany between 1918 and 1933. It was formed in 1918 from the ...
(DDP) in 1918 and 1919 during the Weimar republic as well as the
Liberal Democratic Party of Germany
The Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (german: Liberal-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands, LDPD) was a political party in East Germany. Like the other allied bloc parties of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) in the National Front, it ...
(LDPD) of East Germany in 1946.
Early life
Eugen Schiffer was born in
Breslau in the Prussian
Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia (german: Provinz Schlesien; pl, Prowincja Śląska; szl, Prowincyjŏ Ślōnskŏ) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1919. The Silesia region was part of the Prussian realm since 1740 and established as an official p ...
on 14 February 1860 as the son of Bernhard Schiffer (1830–1900, a merchant) and his wife Mathilde (1832–88, née Kassel). Schiffer graduated from the ''Elisabeth-Gymnasium'' in Breslau with the
Abitur
''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...
and went on to study law at Breslau,
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
and
Tübingen
Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...
. He entered the Prussian judicial service in 1880 and after positions in
Zabrze
Zabrze (; German: 1915–1945: ''Hindenburg O.S.'', full form: ''Hindenburg in Oberschlesien'', Silesian: ''Zŏbrze'', yi, זאַבזשע, Zabzhe) is an industrial city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The west district of the Si ...
(Upper Silesia) and
Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river.
Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebur ...
became ''Kammergerichtsrat '' in Berlin in 1906. In 1910, Schiffer was promoted to ''Oberverwaltungsgerichtsrat''.
In 1888, Schiffer married Bertha (1858-1919, née Buttermilch). They had two daughters (Mathilde, born in 1889, married
Waldemar Koch
Waldemar Koch (25 September 1880 – 15 May 1963) was a German liberal politician and economist.
He was born in Bad Harzburg, Duchy of Brunswick. Koch studied Economics, Philosophy and History at Berlin. He received a doctorate in 1907 fo ...
in 1933) and a son. In 1896, the Jewish Schiffer converted to Protestantism.
Political career
German Empire
During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Schiffer was an adviser to General
Wilhelm Groener
Karl Eduard Wilhelm Groener (; 22 November 1867 – 3 May 1939) was a German general and politician. His organisational and logistical abilities resulted in a successful military career before and during World War I.
After a confrontation wi ...
and was in charge of the law department at the War Ministry. In October 1917, he became ''Unterstaatssekretär'' (Undersecretary) at the ''Reichsschatzamt'' (Treasury). At the same time, Schiffer was a delegate to the
lower chamber
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or oth ...
of the Prussian diet for the
National Liberal Party (1903-1918) and a member of the
Reichstag from 1912 to 1917. His oratory skills, support from big industry and his ambitious nature made him a well known deputy. He was in favor of strengthening the power of the parliament but as a monarchist opposed the revolution.
Weimar Republic
Nevertheless, after the
German Revolution he became ''Staatssekretär'' at the Treasury in November 1918. From 1918 to 1919, Schiffer was a founder-member of the
German Democratic Party
The German Democratic Party (, or DDP) was a center-left liberal party in the Weimar Republic. Along with the German People's Party (, or DVP), it represented political liberalism in Germany between 1918 and 1933. It was formed in 1918 from the ...
(DDP) and was a member and leader of the DDP parliamentary group in both the
Weimar National Assembly
The Weimar National Assembly (German: ), officially the German National Constitutional Assembly (), was the popularly elected constitutional convention and de facto parliament of Germany from 6 February 1919 to 21 May 1920. As part of its ...
(1919–20) and the
Reichstag (1920–1924). He also remained a delegate to the
Landtag of Prussia
The Landtag of Prussia (german: Preußischer Landtag) was the representative assembly of the Kingdom of Prussia implemented in 1849, a bicameral legislature consisting of the upper House of Lords (''Herrenhaus'') and the lower House of Represent ...
until 1924.
From February 1919 until his resignation in April 1919, Schiffer was deputy to ''Ministerpräsident''
Philipp Scheidemann
Philipp Heinrich Scheidemann (26 July 1865 – 29 November 1939) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). In the first quarter of the 20th century he played a leading role in both his party and in the young Weimar ...
and Minister of Finance in the
first democratically elected German government. During his time in office, Schiffer developed a temporary tax regime that provided the basis for what later became known as ''Erzbergersche Finanzreformen'' (named after
Matthias Erzberger
Matthias Erzberger (20 September 1875 – 26 August 1921) was a German writer and politician (Centre Party), the minister of Finance from 1919 to 1920.
Prominent in the Catholic Centre Party, he spoke out against World War I from 1917 and as a ...
).
Schiffer asked Scheidemann for his dismissal from the cabinet on 28 March 1919, giving "personal reasons". He also named disagreement about the creation and filling of several public sector positions as an issue.
After the Scheidemann cabinet resigned in June 1919 over the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
, the DDP initially refused to become part of the
Bauer cabinet, but in early October, the Democrats rejoined
SPD
The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany.
Saskia Esken has been t ...
and
Zentrum in government. As a result Schiffer became Minister of Justice and, once again, deputy to the head of government, now with the title of Vice-Chancellor. He opposed plans to
socialize industries and worked towards a fundamental reform of the civil service.
However, in March 1920, during the
Kapp-Lüttwitz-Putsch Schiffer did not flee the capital with the majority of the cabinet. His role over the days of the putsch was controversial. Since he negotiated with the putschists without a formal mandate from the government, made promises in the name of president
Friedrich Ebert
Friedrich Ebert (; 4 February 187128 February 1925) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the first president of Germany from 1919 until his death in office in 1925.
Ebert was elected leader of the SPD on t ...
and offered those responsible for the putsch amnesty, Schiffer was forced to resign by the SPD after the end of the putsch.
From May to October 1921, Schiffer once again was Minister of Justice in the first cabinet of
Joseph Wirth
Karl Joseph Wirth (6 September 1879 – 3 January 1956) was a German politician of the Catholic Centre Party who served for one year and six months as the chancellor of Germany from 1921 to 1922, as the finance minister from 1920 to 1921, a ...
. In 1921-22, Schiffer was head of the German delegation at the negotiations with the Allies on
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located ...
in Geneva that led to the treaty of 15 May 1922 securing trading rights and minority rights in the region. In 1922-23, he was the German representative at the
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...
in
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
. In 1924, Schiffer supported the acceptance of the
Dawes Plan
The Dawes Plan (as proposed by the Dawes Committee, chaired by Charles G. Dawes) was a plan in 1924 that successfully resolved the issue of World War I reparations that Germany had to pay. It ended a crisis in European diplomacy following Wor ...
.
In 1925, he resigned from the DDP and retired from active politics after an attempt to merge the parties of the political centre in a single ''Liberale Vereinigung''.
Later life
After retiring from politics, Schiffer focused on heading the ''Berliner Verwaltungsakademie'', the first institution of higher learning for the German civil service, which he had help found in 1921. He also practiced law, served as an adviser to the bank "Bankhaus Mendelssohn & Co." and was chairman of the board at ''Anhaltischen Kohlenwerke AG''. In 1928, his book ''Die Deutsche Justiz'' launched a public debate over a judicial reform.
After having been initially left mostly alone by the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
due to the influence of highly placed advocates (,
Johannes Popitz
Johannes Popitz (2 December 1884 – 2 February 1945) was a Prussian finance minister and a member of the German Resistance against the government of Nazi Germany. He was the father of Heinrich Popitz, an important German sociologist.
Life ...
and
Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
Johann Ludwig "Lutz" Graf Schwerin von Krosigk (Born Johann Ludwig von Krosigk; 22 August 18874 March 1977) was a German senior government official who served as the minister of Finance of Germany from 1932 to 1945 and ''de facto'' chancellor ...
), in 1943 he was forced, along with his daughter Marie, to move to a Jewish ghetto in Berlin.
After the end of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, together with his son-in-law
Waldemar Koch
Waldemar Koch (25 September 1880 – 15 May 1963) was a German liberal politician and economist.
He was born in Bad Harzburg, Duchy of Brunswick. Koch studied Economics, Philosophy and History at Berlin. He received a doctorate in 1907 fo ...
and
Wilhelm Külz
Wilhelm Külz (18 February 1875 – 10 April 1948) was a German liberal politician of the National Liberal Party, the German Democratic Party (DDP) and later the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDPD). He held public office both in the Germ ...
, Schiffer founded the ''
Liberaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands'' (LDPD) in the Soviet-occupied sector of Berlin. For three years after August 1945, Schiffer headed the central administration of Justice (''Justizverwaltung'') under the Soviet military government. He then moved to
West-Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
.
Eugen Schiffer died in
Berlin-Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg () is a Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a German town law, town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Kingdom ...
on 5 September 1954.
Bibliography
* ''Der neueste Entwurf zur Reform der Strafverfahren'', 1896
* ''Die Rechtskonsulenten'', 1897
* ''Deutschlands Finanzlage und Steuerpolitik'', 1918/19
* ''Das erste Jahr der Revolution'', 1919
* "German-Polish conference on Upper Silesia", 1922
* ''Die Deutsche Justiz, Grundzüge einer durchgreifenden Reform'', 1928
* ''Rudolf von Gneist, Ein Leben", 1929
* ''Sturm über Deutschland'', 1932
* ''Die neue Verfassung des Deutschen Reiches, Eine politische Skizze'', 1932
* ''Recht und Wirtschaft'', 1948
* ''Ein Sofortprogramm für die deutsche Justiz'', in: Neue Justiz (DDR) 1948, pp. 141-
* ''Ein Leben für den Liberalismus'', 1951 (autobiography)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schiffer, Eugen
1860 births
1954 deaths
Lawyers from Wrocław
People from the Province of Silesia
German Protestants
German people of Jewish descent
Converts to Protestantism from Judaism
National Liberal Party (Germany) politicians
German Democratic Party politicians
Liberal Democratic Party of Germany politicians
Free Democratic Party (Germany) politicians
Vice-Chancellors of Germany
Finance ministers of Germany
Justice ministers of Germany
Members of the 13th Reichstag of the German Empire
Members of the Weimar National Assembly
Members of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic
Members of the Provisional Volkskammer
Members of the Prussian House of Representatives
Politicians from Wrocław