Ferdinand Joseph Meinolph Anton Maria Freiherr von Lüninck (3 August 1888 – 14 November 1944) was a German landowner, lawyer, military officer and politician. An early supporter of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

, he became the ''

Oberpräsident The ' (Supreme President) was the highest administrative official in the Prussian provinces. History The Oberpräsident of a Prussian province was the supreme representative of the Prussian crown, until its downfall in 1918, in the province. In ...

'' of the

Province of Westphalia The Province of Westphalia () was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946. In turn, Prussia was the largest component state of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918, of the Weimar ...

. He eventually joined the opponents of the regime and was executed in connection with the failed

20 July Plot The 20 July plot, sometimes referred to as Operation Valkyrie, was a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, the chancellor and leader of Nazi Germany, and overthrow the Nazi regime on 20 July 1944. The plotters were part of the German r ...

Family

Scion of a noble family, Ferdinand Freiherr von Lüninck was born at the family estate Haus Ostwig, in Ostwig, Province of Westphalia, and was married to Auguste Freiin von Gaugreben-Schönau, with whom he had two daughters and three sons. His younger brother Hermann von Lüninck later became ''

'' of the

Rhine Province The Rhine Province (), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. ...

Early years

Lüninck studied

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

at universities in

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

and

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, passing his initial state examination in 1909. He served in the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the leadership of Kingdom o ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as a ''

Leutnant () is the lowest junior officer rank in the armed forces of Germany ( Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High German «locum ...

'' and company commander in a

Guards Rifles Battalion The Guards Rifles Battalion (German: ''Garde- Schützen-Bataillon''; French: ''Bataillon des Tirailleurs de la Garde''; nicknamed: ''Neuchâteller'' in High German; ''Neffschandeller'' in Berlin German dialect) was an infantry unit of the Prussia ...

, earning the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

1st and 2nd class. After the war, he adopted a career in government and was until 1922 District Administrator (''Landrat'') in

Neuss Neuss (; written ''Neuß'' until 1968; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is on the west bank of the Rhine opposite Düsseldorf. Neuss is the largest city within the Rhein-Kreis Neuss district. It is primarily known for its ...

. A conservative and a monarchist, he was fiercely opposed to democracy and the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

. After his father's death, he resigned from the civil service and moved back to his family home to administer the estate. He became active in the Westphalia ''Landwirtschaftskammer'', a body representing and regulating matters relating to rural interests and

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s. From 1924 to 1928 he headed the Westphalia branch of ''

Der Stahlhelm ''Der Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten'' (German: 'The Steel Helmet, League of Front-Line Soldiers'), commonly known as ''Der Stahlhelm'' ('The Steel Helmet') or ''Stahlhelm BdF'' ('D.S. BdF'), was a Revanchism, revanchist Veteran, ex-servi ...

'', a militant and conservative veterans association. A member of the conservative

German National People's Party The German National People's Party (, DNVP) was a national-conservative and German monarchy, monarchist political party in Germany during the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of the Nazi Party, it was the major nationalist party in Weimar German ...

(''Deutschnationale Volkspartei''; DNVP) he supported the course that the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

were taking.

Career in Nazi Germany

Following the

Nazi seizure of power The rise to power of Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919, when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He quickly rose t ...

, Lüninck was appointed as ''Oberpräsident'' (Senior President) of the

on 22 February 1933. During his time in office, he participated in the persecution and disenfranchisement of ethnic groups, and many anti-Jewish riots were held. On 12 October 1933, he was appointed by Prussian Minister President

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

to the newly reconstituted

Prussian State Council The Prussian State Council ( German: ''Preußischer Staatsrat'') was the second chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Free State of Prussia between 1921 and 1933; the first chamber was the Prussian Landtag (). The members of the State Cou ...

. In 1934, he also became a member of the Provincial Council of Westphalia. Lüninck was never fully trusted by the Nazi hierarchy due to his ardent Catholicism and conservative, monarchist background; he was not one of the '' Alter Kampfer''. On 21 July 1938, he was suspended as ''Oberpräsident'' on Göring's initiative, and was soon replaced by the Nazi Party ''

Gauleiter A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...

'' of Gau Westphalia-North, Alfred Meyer. Lüninck returned to military service on the formation of a reserve battalion at Soest in 1939 after the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1940, he was made a ''

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

'' of reserves in the 9th Infantry Regiment in

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

and was given command of the 178th and 9th infantry reserve battalions, which he led until early 1943.Lüninck, Ferdinand
in th
Westfälische Geschichte Internet Portal
/ref>

Involvement in the 20 July plot and death

Lüninck then became involved in the plans to overthrow

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

after having met the plotters

Carl Friedrich Goerdeler Carl Friedrich Goerdeler (; 31 July 1884 – 2 February 1945) was a German conservative politician, monarchist, executive, economist, civil servant and opponent of the Nazi regime. He opposed anti-Jewish policies while he held office and was op ...

and

Fritz-Dietlof von der Schulenburg Fritz-Dietlof Graf von der Schulenburg (5 September 1902 – 10 August 1944) was a German government official and a member of the German Resistance in the 20 July Plot against Adolf Hitler. Personal development Schulenburg was born in Lon ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

at the end of 1943. He declared himself willing to take on a political assignment, and they were considering him for leadership of ''

Wehrkreis The military districts, also known in some English-language publications by their German name as Wehrkreise (singular: ''Wehrkreis''), were administrative territorial units in Nazi Germany before and during World War II. The task of military dist ...

'' (Military District) XX in Danzig, (today

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

). After the

plot Plot or Plotting may refer to: Art, media and entertainment * Plot (narrative), the connected story elements of a piece of fiction Music * ''The Plot'' (album), a 1976 album by jazz trumpeter Enrico Rava * The Plot (band), a band formed in 2003 ...

failed, his participation was uncovered by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

and he was arrested on 25 July 1944. He was tried and sentenced to death by the '' Volksgerichtshof'' (People's Court) on 13 November 1944, and was hanged at

Plötzensee Prison Plötzensee Prison (, JVA Plötzensee) is a men's prison in the Charlottenburg-Nord locality of Berlin with a capacity for 577 prisoners, operated by the State of Berlin judicial administration. The detention centre established in 1868 has a lon ...

in Berlin the next day.

References

Notes

Citations

External links

Short biography of Ferdinand von Lüninck

Ferdinand von Lüninck entry, p.291
in ''Das Deutsche Führerlexikon'' 1934-1935 *
Lüninck's Works in the ''Landwirtschaftskammer''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luninck, Ferdinand Freiherr von 1888 births 1944 deaths 20th-century German landowners 20th-century German nobility Executed members of the 20 July plot Executed monarchists in the German Resistance German Army officers of World War II German Army personnel of World War I German barons German National People's Party politicians Holocaust perpetrators in Germany Lawyers in the Nazi Party Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni Members of the Prussian State Council (Nazi Germany) Nazis executed by Nazi Germany by hanging Nobility in the Nazi Party People executed by hanging at Plötzensee Prison People from Hochsauerlandkreis People from North Rhine-Westphalia executed by Nazi Germany People from the Province of Westphalia Provincial presidents of Westphalia Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 2nd class Roman Catholics in the German Resistance Stahlhelm members University of Göttingen alumni University of Münster alumni Von Lüninck family