Franz Josef Müller (8 September 1924 – 31 March 2015) was a member of the

World War II 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 ...

-era White Rose resistance group in the Third Reich. In 1986, he founded the Weiße Rose Stiftung (foundation of the White Rose).

Biography

Müller was born in Ulm on 8 September 1924. He raised money to collect stamps and envelopes, including pamphlets addressed to the White Rose and was involved in spreading the letters. He usually met with classmate Hans Hirzel, son of the

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

at that time, in the hidden organ chamber of the Martin-Luther-Church in Ulm. Along with Hans Hirzel and Hirzel's older sister,

Susanne Hirzel Susanne Zeller ( Hirzel; 7 November 1921 – 4 December 2012) was a German resistance member who was part of the White Rose. Early life Susanne Hirzel, daughter of Ulm pastor Ernst Hirzel and granddaughter of the geographer Robert Gradmann, was i ...

, he addressed and stamped 1000 of the fifth pamphlet of the White Rose. Müller was drafted to the military in February 1943 in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In March 1943, he was arrested by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

. Another member of the White Rose revealed his name under

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

. On 19 April 1943, in the Justizpalast (Palace of Justice, in Munich), the second court case of the People's Court against the White Rose under Roland Freisler, started. Müller was sentenced to five years in prison. The reason why he, Hans and Susanne Hirzel were not sentenced to death, unlike the other members of the White Rose, is unknown. Müller thought that Freisler's

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

played an important role since all three of them were

blond Blond (male) or blonde (female), also referred to as fair hair, is a hair color characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. The color can ...

and blue-eyed. During the court proceedings, Freisler screamed, "You have a classic good look, how could you be against the

Führer ( ; , spelled or ''Fuhrer'' when the Umlaut (diacritic), umlaut is not available) is a German word meaning "leader" or "guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with the Nazi Germany, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Nazi Germany ...

?" At the end of the war, Müller was set free. Instead of emigrating to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1947 as intended, he was convinced by Ulm Lord Mayor

Robert Scholl Robert Scholl (13 April 1891 – 25 October 1973) was a Württembergian politician and father of Hans and Sophie Scholl. Scholl was a critic of the Nazi Party before, during and after the Nazi regime, and was twice sent to prison for his criticism ...

, whose children

Hans Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...

and Sophie Scholl had been sentenced to death and executed, to stay in Germany. Franz Josef Müller studied law in Tübingen,

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

and in

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population o ...

. He founded the ''Weiße Rose Stiftung'' in 1986, together with members and relatives of the members of the White Rose sentenced to death, with the intention to keep their legacy. In 1970, he frequently spoke to school classes to tell about his life and the White Rose. He is featured at the Ulmer DenkStätte Weiße Rose remembrance and exhibition center in Ulm. Franz Josef Müller was awarded the ''München Leuchtet'' (Munich shines) and the

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

medal,Transkription eines längeren Interviews mit Müller
(PDF; 50 kB) auf

BR alpha ARD alpha is a German free-to-air television channel run by regional public-service broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk. Its programming consists of shows made by Bayerischer Rundfunk, as well as from ARD and Austrian broadcaster ORF. The channe ...

vom 2. Mai 2003 the latter awarded by

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

to acknowledge Müller's membership in the White Rose and for his resistance to the Nazi regime. Müller died in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

on 31 March 2015, at the age of 90.

Literature

Inge Scholl Inge Aicher-Scholl (11 August 1917 – 4 September 1998), born in present-day Crailsheim, Germany, was the daughter of Robert Scholl, mayor of Forchtenberg, and elder sister of Hans and Sophie Scholl, who studied at the University of Munich ...

: ''Die weiße Rose''. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1993,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Müller, Franz Josef 1924 births 2015 deaths German military personnel of World War II German resistance members White Rose members People convicted of treason against Germany