Walter Simons
Encyclopedia
Walter Simons was a German
lawyer and politician. He served as president of the Reichsgericht
from 1922 to 1929.
, Leipzig
and Bonn
he started his career in law in 1882 as a law clerk and in 1893 became a judge in Velbert. After working in the Reichsjustizamt
in 1905 and in the Foreign Office in 1911 Simons became head of the Reich Chancellery
in October 1918. He was the head of the German peace delegation in Versailles and had to resign as he rejected the Treaty of Versailles
.
From 25 June 1920 to 4 May 1921 he was Foreign Minister of Germany
without party affiliation in the Fehrenbach government, which was a governing coalition consisting of the Centre Party
, the German Democratic Party and the German People's Party
. As such he represented Germany at the Spa Conference
in July 1920 and the London Conference in March 1921.
From 1922 to 1929, Simons was the president of the Reichsgericht
in Leipzig
. As such, following the death of Friedrich Ebert
in February, 1925 he temporarily acted as head of state of the Weimar Republic
from 12 March 1925 until 12 May 1925 when the next president, Paul von Hindenburg
, assumed office. In the run-up to the election in 1925, Simons was suggested as a candidate more than once, but nothing came of it. He resigned his position at the Reichsgericht in protest at an unconstitutional interference of the government in a pending trial. From 1929 Simons was a professor for international law in Leipzig.
He was also a member of the German Evangelical Church Commission, and from 1925 to 1935 he was the president of the Evangelical Social Congress.
Together with Hans von Seeckt und Wilhelm Solf, Simons formed the board of the SeSiSo-Club, which put on cultural events in the Hotel Kaiserhof in Berlin for the liberal educated bourgeoisie (the Bildungsbürgertum), often in partnership with the "Deutsche Gesellschaft 1914", whose chairman was Wilhelm Solf. Such a meeting also took place at the time of Hitler's coming to power, as Harry Graf Kessler was holding a speech for the club members in the Hotel Kaiserhof. The former members of the SeSiSo-Club later to a large extent joined the Solf Circle, a resistance group.
Walter Simons also represented the Lutheran denomination internationally at the Stockholm Conference in 1925.
He was the father of Hans Simons, father-in-law of Ernst Rudolf Huber and grandfather of Wolfgang Huber
.
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...
lawyer and politician. He served as president of the Reichsgericht
Reichsgericht
The Reichsgericht was the highest court of the Deutsches Reich. It was established on October 1, 1879 when the Reichsjustizgesetze came into effect, building a widely regarded body of jurisprudence....
from 1922 to 1929.
Biography
Walter Simons was a student of the jurist Rudolph Sohm, and was influenced by Humanism and Lutheran Pietism. After studying history, philosophy, law and economics in StrasbourgStrasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
he started his career in law in 1882 as a law clerk and in 1893 became a judge in Velbert. After working in the Reichsjustizamt
Reichsjustizamt
Reichsjustizamt, which in German means "office for national justice", was the highest authority of the law in the German empire, and was the predecessor of Reichsministerium der Justiz, the Reich Ministry of Justice....
in 1905 and in the Foreign Office in 1911 Simons became head of the Reich Chancellery
Reich Chancellery
The Reich Chancellery was the traditional name of the office of the Chancellor of Germany in the period of the German Reich from 1871 to 1945...
in October 1918. He was the head of the German peace delegation in Versailles and had to resign as he rejected the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
.
From 25 June 1920 to 4 May 1921 he was Foreign Minister of Germany
Foreign Minister of Germany
The Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs is the head of the Federal Foreign Office and a member of the Cabinet of Germany. The current office holder is Guido Westerwelle...
without party affiliation in the Fehrenbach government, which was a governing coalition consisting of the Centre Party
Centre Party (Germany)
The German Centre Party was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. Formed in 1870, it battled the Kulturkampf which the Prussian government launched to reduce the power of the Catholic Church...
, the German Democratic Party and the German People's Party
German People's Party
The German People's Party was a national liberal party in Weimar Germany and a successor to the National Liberal Party of the German Empire.-Ideology:...
. As such he represented Germany at the Spa Conference
Spa Conference
The Spa Conference was a meeting between the Supreme War Council and Weimar Republic in Spa, Belgium on 5–16 July 1920. It was the first post-war conference to include German representatives. The attendees included British and French Prime Ministers Lloyd George and Alexandre Millerand, German...
in July 1920 and the London Conference in March 1921.
From 1922 to 1929, Simons was the president of the Reichsgericht
Reichsgericht
The Reichsgericht was the highest court of the Deutsches Reich. It was established on October 1, 1879 when the Reichsjustizgesetze came into effect, building a widely regarded body of jurisprudence....
in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
. As such, following the death of Friedrich Ebert
Friedrich Ebert
Friedrich Ebert was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany .When Ebert was elected as the leader of the SPD after the death of August Bebel, the party members of the SPD were deeply divided because of the party's support for World War I. Ebert supported the Burgfrieden and...
in February, 1925 he temporarily acted as head of state of 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 12 March 1925 until 12 May 1925 when the next president, Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
, assumed office. In the run-up to the election in 1925, Simons was suggested as a candidate more than once, but nothing came of it. He resigned his position at the Reichsgericht in protest at an unconstitutional interference of the government in a pending trial. From 1929 Simons was a professor for international law in Leipzig.
He was also a member of the German Evangelical Church Commission, and from 1925 to 1935 he was the president of the Evangelical Social Congress.
Together with Hans von Seeckt und Wilhelm Solf, Simons formed the board of the SeSiSo-Club, which put on cultural events in the Hotel Kaiserhof in Berlin for the liberal educated bourgeoisie (the Bildungsbürgertum), often in partnership with the "Deutsche Gesellschaft 1914", whose chairman was Wilhelm Solf. Such a meeting also took place at the time of Hitler's coming to power, as Harry Graf Kessler was holding a speech for the club members in the Hotel Kaiserhof. The former members of the SeSiSo-Club later to a large extent joined the Solf Circle, a resistance group.
Walter Simons also represented the Lutheran denomination internationally at the Stockholm Conference in 1925.
He was the father of Hans Simons, father-in-law of Ernst Rudolf Huber and grandfather of Wolfgang Huber
Wolfgang Huber
Wolfgang Huber is a prominent German theologian and ethicist. Huber served as bishop of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia until November 2009...
.