Ernst von Harnack
Encyclopedia
Ernst Wolf Alexander Oskar Harnack (15 July 1888 – 5 March 1945), granted the title von Harnack in 1914, was an official of the Prussia
n provincial government, a German
politician
, and a resistance fighter. He was arrested, tried and executed in March 1945 at Plötzensee Prison
for political opposition to the Nazi Party.
as the son of the theologian Adolf von Harnack
(1851–1930) and Amalie Thiersch (1858–1937), the granddaughter of the chemist Justus von Liebig
. On 25 March 1916, in Hindenburg
(Upper Silesia
), he married Anna (Änne) Wiggert (b. 5 October 1894, in Göttelborn, Ottweiler
district , Saarland
; d. 22 August 1960, in Berlin
), daughter of the Prussian official Ernst Wiggert and Elizabeth Schmidt. They had two sons and three daughters.
, where he took the Abitur
in 1907. Then he studied law at the University of Marburg and later in Berlin
. On 6 May 1911, he took the bar examination and began afterwards working at a magistrate's Court in the Lichterfelde of Berlin. From 1 October 1911 to 30 September 1912, he spent a year doing military service as an Einjährig-Freiwilliger. From 2 August 1914 to 15 May 1915 he served in the First World War and was active with civil administration in Congress Poland
. He began his official career on 8 March 1913 as a governmental junior lawyer in Oppeln. On 29 June 1918, he was appointed as a civil servant (Regierungsassessor) in the Ministry of Science, Art and National Education. He was promoted on 24 January 1921 to Regierungsrat. From 15 August 1921 to 9 November 1923 and from 1 June 1924 to 31 May 1925 he was a Landrat in Hersfeld-Rotenburg, with an appointment as Landrat in Uecker-Randow
in the period between. On 1 June 1925 he was appointed vice head of the regional government (Regierungsvizepräsident) in Hanover
. He was transferred on 1 April 1927 in the same position in Cologne
. On 8 August 1929, he started as of the head of the provincial government (Regierungspräsident) in Merseburg.
Harnack was dismissed from government service after the so-called Preußenschlag
by Reichskanzler (Chancellor
) Franz von Papen
on 20 July 1932. On 27 November 1921 he was elected to the executive committee of the Bundes religiöser Sozialisten (Federation of Religious Socialists). Harnack was arrested in 1933, after he had tried to determine the murderers of the former Prime Minister and SPD politician Johann Stelling, murdered during the so-called Night of the Long Knives
. In co-operation with Willi Wohlberedt, he created a graves registration index cards for Berlin.
Accused of being a participant in the July 20 Plot
in 1944, he was executed in March 1945 and buried in an unmarked grave. His name appears on a family grave marker in Berlin.
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n provincial government, a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, and a resistance fighter. He was arrested, tried and executed in March 1945 at Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison was a Prussian institution built in Berlin between 1869 and 1879 near the lake Plötzensee, but in the neighbouring borough of Charlottenburg, on Hüttigpfad off Saatwinkler Damm. During Adolf Hitler's time in power from 1933 to 1945, more than 2,500 people were executed at...
for political opposition to the Nazi Party.
Family
Harnack was born in MarburgMarburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
as the son of the theologian Adolf von Harnack
Adolf von Harnack
Adolf von Harnack , was a German theologian and prominent church historian.He produced many religious publications from 1873-1912....
(1851–1930) and Amalie Thiersch (1858–1937), the granddaughter of the chemist Justus von Liebig
Justus von Liebig
Justus von Liebig was a German chemist who made major contributions to agricultural and biological chemistry, and worked on the organization of organic chemistry. As a professor, he devised the modern laboratory-oriented teaching method, and for such innovations, he is regarded as one of the...
. On 25 March 1916, in Hindenburg
Zabrze
Zabrze is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union is a metropolis with a population of around 2 million...
(Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
), he married Anna (Änne) Wiggert (b. 5 October 1894, in Göttelborn, Ottweiler
Ottweiler
Ottweiler is a municipality, former seat of the district of Neunkirchen, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Blies, approx. 7 km north of Neunkirchen, and 25 km northeast of Saarbrücken.The town is notable for the Ottweiler porcelain....
district , Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
; d. 22 August 1960, in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
), daughter of the Prussian official Ernst Wiggert and Elizabeth Schmidt. They had two sons and three daughters.
Life
After a year's private instruction, Harnack attended the Joachimsthalsche Gymnasium in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he took the Abitur
Abitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
in 1907. Then he studied law at the University of Marburg and later in Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
. On 6 May 1911, he took the bar examination and began afterwards working at a magistrate's Court in the Lichterfelde of Berlin. From 1 October 1911 to 30 September 1912, he spent a year doing military service as an Einjährig-Freiwilliger. From 2 August 1914 to 15 May 1915 he served in the First World War and was active with civil administration in Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
. He began his official career on 8 March 1913 as a governmental junior lawyer in Oppeln. On 29 June 1918, he was appointed as a civil servant (Regierungsassessor) in the Ministry of Science, Art and National Education. He was promoted on 24 January 1921 to Regierungsrat. From 15 August 1921 to 9 November 1923 and from 1 June 1924 to 31 May 1925 he was a Landrat in Hersfeld-Rotenburg, with an appointment as Landrat in Uecker-Randow
Uecker-Randow
Uecker-Randow was a Kreis in the eastern part of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. The district was created on June 12, 1994 by merging the previous districts Pasewalk, Ueckermünde and part of the district Strasburg...
in the period between. On 1 June 1925 he was appointed vice head of the regional government (Regierungsvizepräsident) in Hanover
Hanover (region)
Hanover was a Regierungsbezirk of the Prussian Province of Hanover and of Lower Saxony, Germany, that existed from 1885 until 2004. It was located in the south of the state around the city of Hanover, its capital....
. He was transferred on 1 April 1927 in the same position in Cologne
Cologne (region)
Cologne is one of the five governmental districts of the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located in the south-west of that state and covers the hills of the Eifel as well as the Bergisches Land....
. On 8 August 1929, he started as of the head of the provincial government (Regierungspräsident) in Merseburg.
Harnack was dismissed from government service after the so-called Preußenschlag
Preußenschlag
In 1932, the Preußenschlag, or "Prussian coup", was one of the major steps towards the end of the German inter-war democracy, which would later greatly facilitate the "Gleichschaltung" of Germany after Adolf Hitler's rise to power...
by Reichskanzler (Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
) Franz von Papen
Franz von Papen
Lieutenant-Colonel Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen zu Köningen was a German nobleman, Roman Catholic monarchist politician, General Staff officer, and diplomat, who served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932 and as Vice-Chancellor under Adolf Hitler in 1933–1934...
on 20 July 1932. On 27 November 1921 he was elected to the executive committee of the Bundes religiöser Sozialisten (Federation of Religious Socialists). Harnack was arrested in 1933, after he had tried to determine the murderers of the former Prime Minister and SPD politician Johann Stelling, murdered during the so-called Night of the Long Knives
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
. In co-operation with Willi Wohlberedt, he created a graves registration index cards for Berlin.
Accused of being a participant in the July 20 Plot
July 20 Plot
On 20 July 1944, an attempt was made to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Third Reich, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia. The plot was the culmination of the efforts of several groups in the German Resistance to overthrow the Nazi-led German government...
in 1944, he was executed in March 1945 and buried in an unmarked grave. His name appears on a family grave marker in Berlin.
External links
- Literature from and above Ernst von Harnack at the German National LibraryGerman National LibraryThe German National Library is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany...