Johann Albers (16 October 1890 – 19 April 1964) was a German politician (FDP).
Life and career
Albers was born on a small farm in
Jever
Jever () is the capital of the district of Friesland in Lower Saxony, Germany. The name Jever is usually associated with a major brand of beer, Jever Pilsener, which is produced there. The city is also a popular holiday resort. Jever was granted c ...
,
Frisland, to Karl Albers and his wife Margaretha née Hellmerichs. After attending primary school, Albers completed an apprenticeship in the
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...
's trade, then continued his education at a technical school and later passed the examination as a master blacksmith. From 1913 he worked as a self-employed master blacksmith in Jever and ran a secondary agricultural business. By then, he was already working in leading positions of the craftsmen. From 1923 onwards he was a member of the general assembly of
Handwerkskammer Oldenburg (HWK). In 1933 he was removed from all offices and arrested.
Following the end of World War II, Albers became Senior Blacksmith and
District Master Craftsman in 1945, and after his re-entry from 1948 to 1951 he became a member of the board, and eventually an honorary senior master, of the Oldenburg Chamber of Crafts.
Politics and public offices
Initially, Albers was a member of the
Freisinnige Volkspartei. In 1919, he became a member of the German Democratic Party until it was banned. During the
National Socialist
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 ...
era he was exposed to various harassments as a convinced Democrat, which eventually forced to resign from all party and honorary offices in 1933. In 1945, he again began a 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 ...
, and an associate of
Theodor Tantzen
Theodor is a masculine given name. It is a German form of Theodore. It is also a variant of Teodor.
List of people with the given name Theodor
* Theodor Adorno, (1903–1969), German philosopher
* Theodor Aman, Romanian painter
* Theodor Bluege ...
. As Tantzen's close confidant, Albers was a member of the Ernannter Oldenburgischer Landtag (Appointed Oldenburg Parliament) from 30 January 1946 and served as its president from 10 April 1946. He served as a member of the
Landtag of Lower Saxony
The Lower Saxon Landtag () or the Parliament of Lower Saxony is the state diet of the German state of Lower Saxony. It convenes in Hanover and currently consists of 146 members, consisting of four parties. Since 2022 the majority is a coalitio ...
from 1946 to 1959.
From 11 June 1947 to 9 June 1948, Albers served as
minister without portfolio in the Cabinet of the
Government of Lower Saxony headed by
Minister-President
A minister-president or minister president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments with a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government where they preside over the council of ministers. I ...
Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf
Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf 1948
Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf (6 May 1893 – 21 December 1961) was a German politician (SPD). He joined the SPD in 1919. Kopf worked from 1939 to 1943 on behalf of the Nazi government as an asset manager in occupied Poland, ...
.
In 1948, like other DDP politicians, he joined the
Free Democratic Party (FDP). In the same year, together with
Rudolf Garlichs, he founded the local branch of the FDP in
Minsen. Like the other Free Democrats, he resigned from the
coalition government of Lower Saxony because no agreement could be reached on a certain land reform and settlement law. As a representative of the Lower Saxony state parliament, Albers attended the first
Federal Convention
The Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787. Although the convention was intended to revise the league of states and first system of government under the Articles of Confederation, the intention fr ...
on 12 September 1949, which elected
Theodor Heuss
Theodor Heuss (; 31 January 1884 – 12 December 1963) was a German liberal politician who served as the first president of West Germany from 1949 to 1959. His cordial nature – something of a contrast to the stern character of chancellor K ...
as
President of Germany
The president of Germany, officially the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: link=no, Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland),The official title within Germany is ', with ' being added in international corres ...
.
In 1951/52 Albers became deputy chairman of the FDP faction in the Lower Saxony state parliament. He also becamea member of the Federal Convention in 1954, when Heuss was re-elected.
Albers was also the
Landrat (District Administrator) of the
District of Friesland from 20 December 1945, and held this office until his death. From 1952 to 1961 he was still Mayor of Jever.
Family
Albers married Elsa née Janssen (19 March 1891 – 12 May 1962), who also came from Jever.
Awards
* 1955:
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
Sources
*
Barbara Simon: ''Abgeordnete in Niedersachsen 1946–1994. Biographisches Handbuch''. Ed. by the President of the Lower Saxony State Parliament. Parliament of Lower Saxony, Hanover 1996, p. 18.
* Hans Friedl et al. (Ed.): ''
Biographisches Handbuch zur Geschichte des Landes Oldenburg (Biographical Handbook on the History of the State of Oldenburg)''. Ed. by Order of the Oldenburgische Landschaft. Isensee, Oldenburg 1992, , pp. 24–25
PDF (4.6 MB)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albers, Johann
1890 births
1964 deaths
Free-minded People's Party (Germany) politicians
German Democratic Party politicians
Mayors of places in Lower Saxony
People from Jever
Members of the Landtag of Lower Saxony
Ministers of the Lower Saxony State Government
Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany