Heinrich Ernst Göring
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Ernst Göring was a German
jurist
and diplomat
who served as colonial governor of German South-West Africa
. He was the father of five children including Hermann Göring
, the Nazi leader and commander of the Luftwaffe
.
. He was the son of Wilhelm Göring (1791-1874), and his wife Caroline Maria de Neree (1815-1886), daughter of Everhard de Neree (1772-1820) and his wife Clementine Freiin von Locquenghien (1775-1861) who was descended from, among others, the Grafen von Metternich and the then Freiherren von Schönborn.
Göring married secondly Franziska Tiefenbrunn: the marriage produced five recorded children:
was forced into creating a state-financed colonial administration to support his country's fledgling Protectorate of South-West Africa
.
Göring's first action was to gain a 'protection treaty' with the leading Herero chief, Maharero
. The treaty of protection wasn't worth the paper it was written on, as Göring was in no position to offer assistance. Repeated, successful armed attacks by the Nama clan of Hendrik Witbooi proved the point. The treaty was torn up a few years later anyway by Mahrero, who also expelled Göring from Hereroland: the behaviour of the Germans had become too much and, worst of all, Göring had—perhaps unwittingly—extended his house on top of a Herero ancestral graveyard. The gold rush was a hoax, however, for the purported gold deposits were nothing apart from the remains of gold pieces fired at a rock face. The identity of the hoaxer remains a mystery, but suspicion falls on Göring making a last-ditch, desperate attempt to bring investment into the protectorate, and thus save his failing mission. The expected vast gold deposits started a gold rush of German settlers and investors into South-West Africa, whose behaviour further alienated the Herero. This eventually led to the genocide
of the Herero aboriginals. The Herero skulls were eventually used by the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Anthropology, Human Heredity, and Eugenics
, pursuing a policy of eugenics
. Later, the Nazis, including Heinrich Ernst Göring son, Hermann Göring continued this policy of genocide during World War II.
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...
jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
and diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
who served as colonial governor of German South-West Africa
German South-West Africa
German South West Africa was a colony of Germany from 1884 until 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa and administered as South West Africa, finally becoming Namibia in 1990...
. He was the father of five children including Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
, the Nazi leader and commander of the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
.
Personal life
Göring was born in Emmerich in the Rhine ProvinceRhine Province
The Rhine Province , also known as Rhenish Prussia or synonymous to the Rhineland , was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822-1946. It was created from the provinces of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg...
. He was the son of Wilhelm Göring (1791-1874), and his wife Caroline Maria de Neree (1815-1886), daughter of Everhard de Neree (1772-1820) and his wife Clementine Freiin von Locquenghien (1775-1861) who was descended from, among others, the Grafen von Metternich and the then Freiherren von Schönborn.
Göring married secondly Franziska Tiefenbrunn: the marriage produced five recorded children:
- Karl-Ernst Göring (born 3rd August 1885 in RosenheimRosenheimRosenheim is a town in Bavaria at the confluence of the rivers Inn and Mangfall. It is seat of administration of the district of Rosenheim, but is not a part of it.-Geography:...
; died 4th October 1932 in Hannover), Jurist - Olga Therese Sophie Göring (born 16th January 1889 in Walvis BayWalvis BayWalvis Bay , is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies...
(German South-West AfricaGerman South-West AfricaGerman South West Africa was a colony of Germany from 1884 until 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa and administered as South West Africa, finally becoming Namibia in 1990...
); died 1970) - Paula Elisabeth Rosa Göring (1890–1960)
- Hermann GöringHermann GöringHermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
(born 12th January 1893 in RosenheimRosenheimRosenheim is a town in Bavaria at the confluence of the rivers Inn and Mangfall. It is seat of administration of the district of Rosenheim, but is not a part of it.-Geography:...
; died 15th October 1946 in Nuremburg), Senior Nazi Politician - Albert GöringAlbert GöringAlbert Günther Göring was a German businessman, notable for helping Jews and dissidents survive in Germany in World War II. His older brother, Hermann Göring, held the rank of Reichsmarschall of Nazi Germany and was convicted as a war criminal.-Early life:Albert Göring was born on the 9th of March...
(born 9th March 1895; died 1966 in MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
), Businessman
Career
After a career as a provincial judge, the Dutch-speaking Göring was appointed Imperial Commissioner of German South-West Africa in 1885, the first German imperial commissioner, after Otto von BismarckOtto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
was forced into creating a state-financed colonial administration to support his country's fledgling Protectorate of South-West Africa
German South-West Africa
German South West Africa was a colony of Germany from 1884 until 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa and administered as South West Africa, finally becoming Namibia in 1990...
.
Göring's first action was to gain a 'protection treaty' with the leading Herero chief, Maharero
Maharero
Maharero was one of the most powerful paramount chiefs of the Herero people in South-West Africa, today's Namibia.-Biography:...
. The treaty of protection wasn't worth the paper it was written on, as Göring was in no position to offer assistance. Repeated, successful armed attacks by the Nama clan of Hendrik Witbooi proved the point. The treaty was torn up a few years later anyway by Mahrero, who also expelled Göring from Hereroland: the behaviour of the Germans had become too much and, worst of all, Göring had—perhaps unwittingly—extended his house on top of a Herero ancestral graveyard. The gold rush was a hoax, however, for the purported gold deposits were nothing apart from the remains of gold pieces fired at a rock face. The identity of the hoaxer remains a mystery, but suspicion falls on Göring making a last-ditch, desperate attempt to bring investment into the protectorate, and thus save his failing mission. The expected vast gold deposits started a gold rush of German settlers and investors into South-West Africa, whose behaviour further alienated the Herero. This eventually led to the genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
of the Herero aboriginals. The Herero skulls were eventually used by the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Anthropology, Human Heredity, and Eugenics
Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Anthropology, Human Heredity, and Eugenics
The Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Anthropology, Human Heredity, and Eugenics was founded in 1927. The Rockefeller Foundation supported both the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Psychiatry and the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Anthropology, Human Heredity and Eugenics...
, pursuing a policy of eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
. Later, the Nazis, including Heinrich Ernst Göring son, Hermann Göring continued this policy of genocide during World War II.