Erich Klausener (25 January 1885 – 30 June 1934) was a German

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

politician and Catholic

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

in the "

Night of the Long Knives The Night of the Long Knives (, ), also called the Röhm purge or Operation Hummingbird (), was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from 30 June to 2 July 1934. Chancellor Adolf Hitler, urged on by Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, ord ...

", a purge that took place in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

from 30 June to 2 July 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders.

Family

Klausener was born in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

to a

family. His father, Peter Klausener (1844–1904), was a member of the Austrian Flirsch Klausener family, who came to the

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

in 1740, and are relatives of the Cluysenaar family. His father studied law and served as an assessor and justice of the peace in

Malmedy Malmedy (; , historically also ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2018, Malmedy had a total population of 12,654. The total area is 99.96 km2 which gives a population dens ...

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

. His mother, Elisabeth Bisenbach (1864–1944), was from an upper-class family in

. Klausener followed his father's career in public service, serving for a time in the Prussian Ministry of Commerce."Erich Klausener", German Resistance Memorial Center
/ref> He served as an

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

officer in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and on the eastern front of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and was awarded the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

Second Class in 1914 and the Iron Cross First Class in 1917. During the French occupation of Ruhr, Klausener sent a letter to Belgian occupation authorities, criticizing the mistreatment of German police officers. In response, Klausener was arrested, tried by a Belgian court-martial, sentenced to two months in prison, and temporarily expelled from the Ruhr.

Career

From 1924, Klausener served in

in the Ministry of Welfare, and later headed the police division

Ministry of Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, th ...

of that state. From 1928, Klausener became head of the group

Catholic Action Catholic Action is a movement of Catholic laity, lay people within the Catholic Church which advocates for increased Catholic influence on society. Catholic Action groups were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic cou ...

(). Before 1933, he strongly supported the police battle against illegal Nazi activities. After

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

and

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

came to power in 1933,

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

became minister-president of Prussia. Klausener was displaced from the ministry of transport of Prussia when Göring started to Nazify the Prussian police, and Klausener was transferred to the Reich Ministry of Transportation.

Chair of Catholic Action Berlin

In 1928, Klausener joined the Katholischen Akademikerverbandes (Catholic Academic Association) and was elected to its board. (Another sources states that Klausener "initiated" Catholic Action in Berlin in 1922 via encyclical ''Ubi Arcano'')

Assassination

A close associate of Vice Chancellor

Franz von Papen Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen, (; 29 October 18792 May 1969) was a German politician, diplomat, Prussian nobleman and army officer. A national conservative, he served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932, and then as Vice-Chancell ...

, Klausener contributed to his Marburg speech delivered on 17 June 1934. The speech was largely written by Edgar Jung, but the contributions of Klausener and Secretary Herbert von Bose cost them their lives. The speech, though moderate in tone, criticized the violence and repression that had followed since Hitler became

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

. It called for an end to the revolution, Nazi terror and for the restoration of normalcy, freedom, and freedom of the press. On 24 June 1934, Klausener spoke at the Catholic Congress in the

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

's Hoppegarten. His passionate criticism of the repression was viewed by the Nazis as an open challenge. Six days later, on 30 June 1934, during the "Night of the Long Knives", SS officer Kurt Gildisch was ordered by

Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( , ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a German high-ranking SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of the Holocaust. He held the rank of SS-. Many historians regard Heydrich ...

to go to Klausener's office at the Ministry of Transport to assassinate him. After the killing, Gildisch was promoted in rank to SS-''

Sturmbannführer __NOTOC__ ''Sturmbannführer'' (; ) was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank equivalent to Major (rank), major that was used in several Nazi organizations, such as the Sturmabteilung, SA, Schutzstaffel, SS, and the National Socialist Flyers Corps, NSFK ...

''.Hoffmann, Peter (2000)

979 Year 979 (Roman numerals, CMLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. It was the 979th year of the Common Era and the Anno Domini designation, the 979th year of the 1st millennium, the 79th year of the 10th century, ...

''Hitler's Personal Security: Protecting the Führer 1921-1945'', p. 49, .

Martyr

After the end of the Nazi regime and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, a monument was erected to Klausener in Berlin. In 1999, the Catholic Church in Germany accepted Klausener into the German martyrology as a witness of faith.

Legacy

Tributes and memorials

* Erich-Klausener-Gymnasium (State High-School) in Adenau is named after him Klausener had seven Straßen (streets) named after him: * Erich-Klausener-Straße,

* Erich-Klausener-Straße,

Neuss Neuss (; written ''Neuß'' until 1968; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf. Neuss is the largest city within the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district. It is primarily known for its ...

* Erich-Klausener-Straße,

Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its c ...

* Erich-Klausener-Straße,

Monheim am Rhein Monheim am Rhein (, ; ) is a town on the right (eastern) bank of the river Rhine in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Monheim belongs to the district of Mettmann – with the southern suburbs of Düsseldorf to the north, and the Bergisches Land to ...

* Erich-Klausener-Straße,

Ludwigsfelde Ludwigsfelde () is a town in the north of the district Teltow-Fläming in Brandenburg. Geography Location The town is located south of Berlin in the district Teltow-Fläming on the plateau of Teltow (region), Teltow. In earlier times, it was par ...

* Erich-Klausener-Straße, Brieselang * Erich-Klausener-Straße, Blankenfelde-Mahlow Leo-Statz-Platz in Unterbilk,

* Memorial stone *

Stolperstein A (; plural ) is a concrete cube bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution. Literal translation, Literally, it means 'stumbling stone' and metaphorically 'stumbling block'. ...

Gallery

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-08224, Berlin, Albert Grzesinski bei Verfassungsfeier.jpg, Klausener (Right) behind Prussian Interior Minister Albert Grzesinski (Centre) at the Constitutional Celebration of the Berlin Police in August 1929 File:E.Klausener0002.jpg, Klausener circa 1928 File:Gedenkstein Ehrengedächtnis Erich Klausener und Leo Statz.jpg, Memorial stone for Klausener and Leo Statz in Leo-Statz-Platz in Unterbilk,

File:Stolperstein Erich Klausener.jpg, Klausener's

, Leo-Statz-Platz on Kronprinzenstaße File:Stamps of Germany (Berlin) 1984, MiNr 719.jpg, 50th Death Anniversary Stamp of Klausener from the West Berlin Deutsche Bundespost Berlin in 1984 File:Gedenktafel Keithstr 8 Erich Klausener.jpg, Klausener Memorial Plaque in Keithstrasse 8,

Schöneberg Schöneberg () is a locality of Berlin, Germany. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a separate borough including the locality of Friedenau. Together with the former borough of Tempelhof it is now part of the new borough of Te ...

References

External links

Brief biography of Erich Klausener
– from the German Resistance Memorial Center
The Legacy of Erich Klausener
on the A Small Part of History channel, August 1, 2024. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Klausener, Erich 1885 births 1934 deaths Politicians from Düsseldorf Erich People from the Rhine Province Executed German Resistance members Victims of the Night of the Long Knives Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class 20th-century Roman Catholic martyrs 20th-century venerated Christians People from North Rhine-Westphalia executed by Nazi Germany People executed by Nazi Germany by firearm Prussian Army personnel Roman Catholics in the German Resistance German Army personnel of World War I Civilians who were court-martialed Foreign nationals imprisoned in Belgium People murdered in Berlin

Family

Career

Chair of Catholic Action Berlin

Assassination

Martyr

Legacy

Tributes and memorials

Gallery

See also

References

External links