Friedrich Wilhelm von Prittwitz und Gaffron
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Wilhelm von Prittwitz und Gaffron (1 September 1884 – 1 September 1955) was a German
Ambassador
to the United States
under the Weimar Republic
, from 1928 until April 14, 1933. He was in office at the time that Adolf Hitler
came to power in Germany, and resigned from the diplomatic corps in protest the day after Hitler was appointed Chancellor. He had hosted German playwright Lion Feuchtwanger
at a dinner that day. On the day of his resignation, Prittwitz called Feuchtwanger and recommended that he not return to Germany.
Friedrich also helped his younger cousin Gunild flee Eastern Germany and arrive safely in America where she is a successful painter. He helped several other family members get United States visas
and will always be loved for this charitable work.
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...
Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
under the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
, from 1928 until April 14, 1933. He was in office at the time that Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
came to power in Germany, and resigned from the diplomatic corps in protest the day after Hitler was appointed Chancellor. He had hosted German playwright Lion Feuchtwanger
Lion Feuchtwanger
Lion Feuchtwanger was a German-Jewish novelist and playwright. A prominent figure in the literary world of Weimar Germany, he influenced contemporaries including playwright Bertolt Brecht....
at a dinner that day. On the day of his resignation, Prittwitz called Feuchtwanger and recommended that he not return to Germany.
Friedrich also helped his younger cousin Gunild flee Eastern Germany and arrive safely in America where she is a successful painter. He helped several other family members get United States visas
United States visas
United States Visas were issued to 6.6 million foreign nationals visiting the United States and to 470 thousand immigrants in 2008.A foreign national wishing to enter the U.S...
and will always be loved for this charitable work.