Joseph Herzfeld (18 December 1853 – 27 July 1939) 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
**Ger ...
politician.
Born in
Neuss, Herzfeld worked as a bank clerk in
Düsseldorf, before moving to
New York City, where he trained at the
Columbia Law School. He practised law in New York until 1885, when he returned to Germany and studied law there. He received a doctorate in 1887, and set up his own legal practice in Berlin.
In 1887, Herzfeld joined the
Social Democratic Party of Germany
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 the ...
(SPD), and in 1898 he was elected to the
Reichstag, representing
Rostock. He served until 1906, and again from 1912 until 1918, and 1920 until 1924. He opposed
World War I, joining the Social Democratic Working Group, and then becoming a founder of the
Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD). Within the USPD, he advocated affiliation to the
Communist International and, when that was rejected, joined the
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...
(KPD).
Herzfeld remained a KPD member, devoting much of his time to the
Rote Hilfe
The Rote Hilfe ("Red Aid") was the German affiliate of the International Red Aid. The Rote Hilfe was affiliated with the Communist Party of Germany and existed between 1924 and 1936. Its purpose was to provide help to those Communists who had bee ...
. He emigrated to Switzerland in 1933, to escape Nazi persecution, and died there in 1939.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herzfeld, Joseph
1853 births
1939 deaths
Communist Party of Germany politicians
German trade unionists
Independent Social Democratic Party politicians
Members of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic
Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians