Erich Klausener (25 January 1885 – 30 June 1934) was a German

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

politician and Catholic

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

in the "

Night of the Long Knives The Night of the Long Knives (German: ), or the Röhm purge (German: ''Röhm-Putsch''), also called Operation Hummingbird (German: ''Unternehmen Kolibri''), was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from 30 June to 2 July 1934. Chancellor Ad ...

", a purge that took place in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

from 30 June to 2 July 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders.

Family

Klausener was born in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...

to a

family. His father, Peter Klausener (1844-1904), was a member of the Austrian

Flirsch Flirsch is a municipality in the Landeck district in Austrian state of Tyrol. It is located 11 km west of Landeck Landeck () is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol, the capital of the district of Landeck. Geography Landeck is located in ...

Klausener family, who came to the

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

in 1740, and are relatives of the Cluysenaar family. His father studied law and served as an

assessor An assessor may be: * ''Assessor'' (fish), a genus of fishes * Assessor (law), the assistant to a judge or magistrate * Assessor (Oxford), a senior officer of the University of Oxford * Assessor (property) Tax assessment, or assessment, is t ...

and

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or '' puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the s ...

Malmedy Malmedy (; german: Malmünd, ; wa, Måmdiy) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2018, Malmedy had a total population of 12,654. The total area is 99.96 km2 which gives a popula ...

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

. His mother, Elisabeth Bisenbach (1864-1944), was from an upper-class family in

. Klausener followed his father's career in public service, serving for a time in the Prussian

Ministry of Commerce A Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry or variations is a ministry that is concerned with a nation's trade, industry and commerce. Notable examples are: List *Algeria: Ministry of Industry and ...

."Erich Klausener", German Resistance Memorial Center
/ref> He served as an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...

officer in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and on the eastern front of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, and was awarded the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

Second Class in 1914 and the Iron Cross First Class in 1917. Klausener's participation in a

boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict so ...

during the French occupancy of Ruhr in 1923 and 1924, however, earned him a sentence of two months in prison.

Career

From 1924, Klausener served in

in the Ministry of Welfare, and later headed the police division

Ministry of Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

of that state. From 1928, Klausener became head of the group

Catholic Action Catholic Action is the name of groups of lay Catholics who advocate for increased Catholic influence on society. They were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic countries under anti-clerical regimes such as Spain, It ...

(german: Katholische Aktion). Before 1933, he strongly supported the police battle against illegal Nazi activities. After

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

and

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...

came to power in 1933,

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...

became minister-president of Prussia. Klausener was displaced from the ministry of transport of Prussia when Göring started to Nazify the Prussian police, and Klausener was transferred to the Reich Ministry of Transportation.

Chair of Catholic Action Berlin

Klausener was elected to the board of the Katholischen Akademikerverbandes (Catholic Academic Association).

Assassination

A close associate of Vice Chancellor

Franz von Papen Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen, Erbsälzer zu Werl und Neuwerk (; 29 October 18792 May 1969) was a German conservative politician, diplomat, Prussian nobleman and General Staff officer. He served as the chancellor of Germany ...

, Klausener contributed to his Marburg speech delivered on 17 June 1934. The speech was largely written by Edgar Jung, but the contributions of Klausener and Secretary Herbert von Bose cost them their lives. The speech, though moderate in tone, criticized the violence and repression that had followed since Hitler became

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

. It called for an end to the revolution, Nazi terror and for the restoration of normalcy, freedom, and freedom of the press. On 24 June 1934, Klausener spoke at the Catholic Congress in the

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

's Hoppegarten. His passionate criticism of the repression was viewed by the Nazis as an open challenge. Six days later, on 30 June 1934, during the "Night of the Long Knives", SS officer

Kurt Gildisch Kurt Gildisch (2 March 1904 – 3 March 1956) became the third commander of Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard (''SS-Begleitkommando des Führers'') on 11 April 1933. He was a trained teacher, who had failed to find a classroom job and thereaf ...

was ordered by

Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( ; ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a high-ranking German SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of the Holocaust. He was chief of the Reich Security Main Office (inclu ...

to go to Klausener's office at the Ministry of Transport to assassinate him. After the killing, Gildisch was promoted in rank to SS-''

Sturmbannführer __NOTOC__ ''Sturmbannführer'' (; ) was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank equivalent to major that was used in several Nazi organizations, such as the SA, SS, and the NSFK. The rank originated from German shock troop units of the First World War ...

''.Hoffmann, Peter (2000) 979 ''Hitler's Personal Security: Protecting the Führer 1921-1945'', p. 49, .

Martyr

After the end of the Nazi regime and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, a monument was erected to Klausener in Berlin. In 1963, his ashes were buried in a grave in the Catholic Church

Maria Regina Martyrum Maria Regina Martyrum (german: link=no, Gedenkkirche Maria Regina Martyrum (actually Gedächtniskirche Maria Regina Martyrum der deutschen Katholiken zu Ehren der Blutzeugen für Glaubens- und Gewissensfreiheit in den Jahren 1933–1945) literal ...

, in commemoration of the martyrs of the Nazi era. In 1999, the

Catholic Church in Germany , native_name_lang = de , image = Hohe_Domkirche_St._Petrus.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = Cologne Cathedral, Cologne , abbreviation = , type = Nat ...

accepted Klausener into the German martyrology as a witness of faith. Grab

Legacy

Tributes and memorials

* Erich-Klausener-Gymnasium (State High-School) in Adenau is named after him Klausener had seven Straßen (streets) named after him: * Erich-Klausener-Straße,

* Erich-Klausener-Straße,

Neuss Neuss (; spelled ''Neuß'' until 1968; li, Nüss ; la, Novaesium) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf. Neuss is the largest city within the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district. It ...

* Erich-Klausener-Straße,

Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, ...

* Erich-Klausener-Straße, Monheim am Rhein * Erich-Klausener-Straße,

Ludwigsfelde Ludwigsfelde is a town in the north of the district Teltow-Fläming in Brandenburg. Geography Location The town is located south of Berlin in the district Teltow-Fläming on the plateau of Teltow. In earlier times, it was part of the district ...

* Erich-Klausener-Straße,

Brieselang Brieselang is a municipality in the Havelland district, in Brandenburg, Germany. Demography File:Bevölkerungsentwicklung Brieselang.pdf, Development of Population since 1875 within the Current Boundaries (Blue Line: Population; Dotted Line: C ...

* Erich-Klausener-Straße,

Blankenfelde-Mahlow Blankenfelde-Mahlow is a municipality in the Teltow-Fläming district of Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated approximately south of Berlin. History The municipality shared its borders with the former West Berlin, and so during the period 1961 ...

Leo-Statz-Platz in Unterbilk,

* Memorial stone *

Stolperstein A (; plural ; literally 'stumbling stone', metaphorically a 'stumbling block') is a sett-size, concrete cube bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution. The project, initia ...

Gallery

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-08224, Berlin, Albert Grzesinski bei Verfassungsfeier.jpg, Klausener (Right) behind Prussian Interior Minister Albert Grzesinski (Centre) at the Constitutional Celebration of the Berlin Police in August 1929 File:E.Klausener0002.jpg, Klausener circa 1928 File:Gedenkstein Ehrengedächtnis Erich Klausener und Leo Statz.jpg, Memorial stone for Klausener and Leo Statz in Leo-Statz-Platz in Unterbilk,

File:Stolperstein Erich Klausener.jpg, Klausener's

, Leo-Statz-Platz on Kronprinzenstaße File:SBZ Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 1945 21 Erich Klausener.jpg, Klausener memorial stamp from

Soviet Occupation Zone The Soviet Occupation Zone ( or german: Ostzone, label=none, "East Zone"; , ''Sovetskaya okkupatsionnaya zona Germanii'', "Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany") was an area of Germany in Central Europe that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a ...

(SBZ),

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in po ...

in 1945 File:Stamps of Germany (Berlin) 1984, MiNr 719.jpg, 50th Death Anniversary Stamp of Klausener from the West Berlin

Deutsche Bundespost Berlin The Deutsche Bundespost Berlin (German Federal Mail of Berlin) was the name used on the stamps of West Berlin. It sounds similar to the name of the Western German postal services Deutsche Bundespost and was ''de facto'' a dependency of it. ''De ju ...

in 1984 File:Gedenktafel Keithstr 8 Erich Klausener.jpg, Klausener Memorial Plaque in Keithstrasse 8, Schöneberg,

References

External links

Brief biography of Erich Klausener
– from the German Resistance Memorial Center * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Klausener, Erich 1885 births 1934 deaths Politicians from Düsseldorf Erich People from the Rhine Province German Roman Catholics Executed German Resistance members Victims of the Night of the Long Knives Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class 20th-century Roman Catholic martyrs 20th-century venerated Christians People from North Rhine-Westphalia executed by Nazi Germany People executed by Germany by firearm Prussian Army personnel Roman Catholics in the German Resistance German Army personnel of World War I

Family

Career

Chair of Catholic Action Berlin

Assassination

Martyr

Legacy

Tributes and memorials

Gallery

See also

References

External links