Johannes Kaempf (February 18, 1842 in

Neuruppin Neuruppin (; North Brandenburgisch: ''Reppin'') is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, the administrative seat of Ostprignitz-Ruppin district. It is the birthplace of the novelist Theodor Fontane (1819–1898) and therefore also referred to as ''Font ...

– May 25, 1918 in

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) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

liberal

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

and banker. From 1912 to 1918 he was president of the Reichstag.

Life

Johannes Kaempf was the director of the branch of the Bank of Trade and Industry in Berlin and President of the German trading day. As President of the Economic Society, he joined in 1903 for the establishment of a Graduate School of Berlin. He was a member of the Free-minded People's Party and the Progressive People's Party and represented the left-wing liberals for the first Berlin Constituency from 1903 to 1918 in the Reichstag. From 1912 until his death he was president of the German Reichstag. Kaempf's death in May 1918 had an unexpected side effect on the fate of the Empire. Because of the need to occupy Kaempf's Reichstag mandate constituency anew, the

Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Unabhängige Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, USPD) was a short-lived political party in Germany during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. The organization was establish ...

(USPD) could nominate the left trade unionists and revolutionary Richard Müller for the by-election; the government had to exempt these from military service. Müller was released in September 1918 from the army and came to Berlin, lost the election, but played a significant role in the organization of the insurrection of 9 November. On 22 October 1899 Kaempf was awarded the honorary title of city elder of Berlin. In 1915 he was awarded an honorary title of Kaiser

Wilhelm II , house = Hohenzollern , father = Frederick III, German Emperor , mother = Victoria, Princess Royal , religion = Lutheranism (Prussian United) , signature = Wilhelm II, German Emperor Signature-.svg Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor ...

. This was the decision for the inscription "To the German People" at the Reichstag building in Berlin. Kaempf was a member of the Masonic Lodge of Saint John the Black Eagle in Landsberg on the Warta River and honorary member of the Grand National-Muttlerloge, The Three Globes. He was buried in Südwestkirchhof Stahnsdorf.

Literature

*John Kaempf: speeches and essays. Published by the elders of the merchants of Berlin. Berlin, Georg Reimer, 1912 *Wolfgang Wölk: Kaempf, Johannes. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 10, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1974, , page 728 f. (Digitized).

Links

*Johannes Kaempf in the database of members of the Reichstag *Biography of Johannes Kaempf. In: Henry Best: Database of deputies of the Diet of the Empire 1867/71 to 1918 (Biorab - Empire)

References

*Ralf Hoff Rogge: Richard Muller - The Man Behind the November revolution. Berlin 2008, p 60ff.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaempf, Johannes 1842 births 1918 deaths People from Neuruppin People from the Province of Brandenburg Free-minded People's Party (Germany) politicians Progressive People's Party (Germany) politicians Members of the 11th Reichstag of the German Empire Members of the 12th Reichstag of the German Empire Members of the 13th Reichstag of the German Empire German Freemasons German bankers