Karl Hermann Friedrich Geiler (10 August 1878 – 14 September 1953) was a German lawyer and politician. He was born in Schönau (Baden) and died in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

. Geiler, a university professor of economic law in

and without affiliation to a political party at the time (during the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is ...

, he was 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 ...

), was installed prime minister of the newly created territory

Greater Hesse Greater Hesse (german: link=no, Groß-Hessen) was the provisional name given for a section of German territory created by the United States military administration in at the end of World War II. It was formed by the Allied Control Council on 19 ...

by the US military administration. He replaced the social democrate Ludwig Bergsträsser, who served as acting minister-president for only one month, and would remain in office until a successor could be democratically elected. His term, from 12 October 1945 to 20 December 1946, saw the first local elections after

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 opposing ...

in January 1946, the vote on the

constitution of Hesse The Constitution of Hesse, signed on the December 1, 1946, is the constitution of the German state of Hesse. Origins A committee was formed for the preparation of the draft constitution and made up of 12 participants from each party. Participa ...

and the first election of the

Landtag of Hesse The Landtag of Hesse (german: link=no, Hessischer Landtag) is the unicameral parliament of the State of Hesse in the Federal Republic of Germany. It convenes in the Stadtschloss in Wiesbaden. As a legislature it is responsible for passing l ...

in December 1946. Geiler was fiercely opposed to denazification.

References

Karl Geiler becomes first prime minister of Greater Hesse (in German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geiler, Karl 1878 births 1953 deaths People from Schönau im Schwarzwald People from the Grand Duchy of Baden German Democratic Party politicians Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Ministers-President of Hesse