Johann Becker (3 February 1869 – 17 October 1951) was a German lawyer and politician of the German People's Party. From January 1916 to November 1918 he served as finance minister of the

Grand Duchy of Hesse The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine (german: link=no, Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein) was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Grand Duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 ...

. He was elected a member of the Weimar National Assembly in 1919. He continued to serve as a delegate in the Reichstag until 1930. In 1922/1923 he was Minister of Economics, under Chancellor Wilhelm Cuno, during the onset of hyperinflation.

Life and career

Johann Baptist (also: Johannes) Becker was born on 3 February 1869 at Ludwigshöhe in the

(present-day Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany). His father, Franz Becker, was a builder and winemaker from a peasant family. His mother was Elisabetha, née Schaad. Becker married Johanna Caroline Hartmann on 4 September 1895 at Gießen. They had one daughter. He studied at Gießen, Leipzig, Munich and Berlin. He then joined the civil service of the

where he advanced rapidly. From January 1916 to November 1918, he was the Hessian minister of finance. His achievements in Hesse included the reform of the tax system (1899) which eliminated the ''Realsteuern'' and brought the system into line with that of Prussia. He also was the main inspiration behind the reform of the Hessian communal tax system (1911). In addition, Becker was very interested in the set-up and running of the railway system. In 1919, he was elected to the Weimar National Assembly, the new republic's constituent assembly. From 1920 to 1930, Becker was a member of the Reichstag for the German People's Party (DVP). He was also member of the board of directors of the ''Rheinische Stahlwerke'' Duisburg-Meiderich. On the suggestion of Gustav Stresemann and Rudolf Heinze, Becker was made ''Reichswirtschaftsminister'' (minister of economics) when the cabinet of Wilhelm Cuno was formed in November 1922. Due to his connections with Rhenish industry he was attacked by the parties of the left but did not exert any influence to further the interest of heavy industry whilst in office. After the

Occupation of the Ruhr The Occupation of the Ruhr (german: link=no, Ruhrbesetzung) was a period of military occupation of the Ruhr region of Germany by France and Belgium between 11 January 1923 and 25 August 1925. France and Belgium occupied the heavily industria ...

, he remained a supporter of "passive resistance" against the French and Belgian occupation forces until the end, even as it caused the German economy to spiral downward and inflation to accelerate. He prepared the stabilization of the currency that came with the introduction of the '' Rentenmark'' in October 1923. However, the cabinet resigned in August and Becker was not in office any more when that reform actually took place. He died on 17 October 1951 at Ludwigshöhe.

Works

* ''Die Neugestaltung des Gemeindeumlagewesens in Hessen'', in: FinanzArchiv, ed. by G. Schanz, Jg. 29, Vol. 1, 1912, pp. 112–68 * ''Finanzwirtschaftliche Fragen, Aufklärungs-Schriften der deutschen Volkspartei in Hessen'' H. 5, 1919 * "Neujahrsartikel", in: ''Die Zeit,'' ed. by Gustav Stresemann, 1923

References

External links

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at the ''Verhandlungen des Deutsches Reichstags'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Becker, Johann 1869 births 1951 deaths People from Mainz-Bingen People from Rhenish Hesse German Roman Catholics National Liberal Party (Germany) politicians German People's Party politicians German National People's Party politicians Economy ministers of Germany Members of the Weimar National Assembly Members of the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic