Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf

Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf
Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf, 1948
Minister-President of Lower Saxony
In office
1946–1955
Succeeded byHeinrich Hellwege
In office
1959–1961
Succeeded byGeorg Diederichs
President of the German Bundesrat
In office
7 September 1951 – 6 September 1952
Succeeded byReinhold Maier
Personal details
Born(1893-05-08)8 May 1893
Neuenkirchen, Hanover
Died21 December 1961(1961-12-21) (aged 68)
Göttingen, Lower Saxony
PartySocial Democratic Party of Germany

Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf (6 May 1893[1] – 21 December 1961[2]) was a German politician for the SPD, who was a major figure in the founding and leadership of Lower Saxony in the aftermath of World War II.[3]

Early life

Kopf was born in Neuenkirchen, Hanover in 1893,[4] and joined the SPD in 1919.[5]

World War II

Despite his political affiliations, from 1939 to 1943 Kopf worked on behalf of the Nazi government as an asset manager in occupied Poland, initially with his own company alongside the lawyer Edmund Bohne, and later for the Haupttreuhandstelle Ost.[6] He was a "trustee of confiscated Polish and Jewish goods" and expropriation commissioner in the Lubliniec region of Poland.[3]

Post-war political career

Chosen to head of the government of the Province of Hanover by the British occupation authorities in June 1945, he was named Oberpräsident in September 1945. He then served as minister-president of the short-lived State of Hanover from August to November 1946, and subsequently as minister president of Lower Saxony from 1946 to 1955.[7]

In 1948, Polish authorities requested his extradition for being involved in deportations, abusing Polish workers, and confiscating Jewish property. However, Military Governor Brian Robertson dismissed the allegations, stating they were "insufficient."[8] Kopf served as the third president of the Bundesrat from 7 September 1951 to 6 September 1952, and later a second term as minister president of Lower Saxony from 1959 to 1961. Kopf died in office at the city of Göttingen.[9][7][10]

His grave is located in the Stöcken city cemetery in Hanover, and was a declared an honorary grave of the city until 2015, after his Nazi ties became more widely known.[11][3]

References

  1. ↑ Neues Archiv für Niedersachsen 2.2021: 75 Jahre Niedersachsen (in German). Wachholtz Verlag. 7 February 2022. p. 71. ISBN 978-3-529-09615-0. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  2. ↑ "HINRICH WILHELM KOPF 6.V.1893 - 21.XII.1961". Der Spiegel (in German). 26 December 1961. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf: Gründervater mit Schattenseiten". NDR (in German). 21 December 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  4. ↑ Lebensläufe zwischen Elbe und Weser: ein biographisches Lexikon (in German). Landschaftsverband der ehemaligen Herzogtümer Bremen und Verden. 2002. p. 193. ISBN 978-3-931879-08-2. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  5. ↑ Vogelsang, Thilo (1963). Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf und Niedersachsen (in German). Verlag für Literatur und Zeitgeschehen. p. 24. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  6. ↑ Report entitled Die NS-Vergangenheit späterer niedersächsischer Landtagsabgeordneter Stephan A. Glienke. Druckfassung Hannover: Hahnsche Buchhandlung, Hannover 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Kopf, Hinrich Wilhelm - Deutsche Biographie". www.deutsche-biographie.de (in German). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  8. ↑ Jung, Hagen (23 January 2023). "Landesvater als Kriegsverbrecher?". ND (in German). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  9. ↑ Verhandlungen: Stenographische Berichte (in German). Bundesrat. 1955. p. 133. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  10. ↑ "Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf - Munzinger Biographie". www.munzinger.de (in German). Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  11. ↑ Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, Ausgabe Stadt Hannover, 13. Juni 2015, S. 15
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