Ludwig Clemens August Grauert (9 January 1891 – 4 June 1964) was a German lawyer who served as the State Secretary in the

Prussian Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...

and

Reich Ministry of the Interior The Federal Ministry of the Interior (, ; abbreviated BMI) is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its main office is in Berlin, with a secondary seat in Bonn. The current minister is Nancy Faeser. It is comparable ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

and played a role in drafting the

Reichstag Fire Decree The Reichstag Fire Decree () is the common name of the Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State () issued by German President Paul von Hindenburg on the advice of Chancellor Adolf Hitler on 28 February 1933 in immed ...

. He also was an SS-''

Brigadeführer ''Brigadeführer'' (, ) was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that was used between 1932 and 1945. It was mainly known for its use as an SS rank. As an SA rank, it was used after briefly being known as '' Untergruppenführer'' in ...

''.

Early life

Grauert was born 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 ...

, attended ''

Volksschule The German term ''Volksschule'' () generally refers to compulsory education, denoting an educational institution every person (i.e. the people, ''Volk'') is required to attend. In Germany and Switzerland it is equivalent to a combined primar ...

'' and the '' Realgymnasium'' there and attained his ''

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

''. He next studied law at the

University of Münster The University of Münster (, until 2023 , WWU) is a public research university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. With more than 43,000 students and over 120 fields of study in 15 departments, it is Germany's ...

and the

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

. He passed his '' Referendar'' examination in October 1913 and began employment as a law clerk at the Hamm Higher Regional Court. On the outbreak of 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 ...

, he entered 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 ...

in August 1914 and served on the front lines until March 1918, first with the 4th (Westphalian) Cuirassiers "von Driesen" and then, from August 1916, 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 ...

'' with a machine gun company in the 15th Reserve Infantry Regiment. From March 1918 until the end of the war in November, he trained as a pilot. Wounded four times, he received 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 and the

Wound Badge The Wound Badge () was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the Imperial German Army, German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between the worl ...

in silver. Returning to civilian life after the war, he passed his '' Assessor'' exam in January 1921 and became a court assessor at the

public prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in civil law. The prosecution is the legal party responsible ...

's offices in Münster and

Bochum Bochum (, ; ; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 372,348 (April 2023), it is the sixth-largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous German federa ...

until 1923. Between 1923 and 1928, Grauert worked as the head of the property protection department of the Employers' Association of the lower Ruhr smelting works in

Duisburg Duisburg (; , ) is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine (Lower Rhine) and the Ruhr (river), Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruh ...

. In the years 1928 to 1933 he was an executive board member and business manager of the Employers' Association of the northwestern group of German iron and steel industrialists in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

. He unsuccessfully stood for election to the '' Reichstag'' for the Conservative People's Party in the

1930 German federal election A federal election was held in Germany on 14 September 1930 to elect the fifth Reichstag of the Weimar Republic. Despite losing ten seats, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) remained the largest party in the Reichstag, winning 143 of ...

. Grauert was one of the approximately two-dozen industrialists who attended the Secret Meeting of 20 February 1933 with

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 ...

that raised over 2,000,000 ''

Reichsmarks The (; Currency sign, sign: ℛ︁ℳ︁; abbreviation: RM) was the currency of German Reich, Germany from 1924 until the fall of Nazi Germany in 1945, and in the Bizone, American, British and French occupied zones of Germany, until 20 June 19 ...

'' for the Nazi's upcoming ''Reichstag'' election campaign.

Nazi Party career

On 7 February 1933,

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 ...

, then the Prussian ''

Reichskommissar (, rendered as "Commissioner of the Empire", "Reich Commissioner" or "Imperial Commissioner"), in German history, was an official governatorial title used for various public offices during the period of the German Empire and Nazi Germany. Ger ...

'' for Interior, appointed Grauert as head of the Prussian police department in the Prussian Ministry of the Interior as the successor to

Erich Klausener Erich Klausener (25 January 1885 – 30 June 1934) was a German Roman Catholic, Catholic politician and Catholic martyr in the "Night of the Long Knives", a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from 30 June to 2 July 1934, when the Nazi regime ...

. In this capacity, Grauert played a key role in purging the police of opponents of the Nazis in the months that followed and, on 22 February, he was promoted to Ministerial Director. On the night of the

Reichstag fire The Reichstag fire (, ) was an arson attack on the Reichstag building, home of the German parliament in Berlin, on Monday, 27 February 1933, precisely four weeks after Adolf Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany. Marinus van der Lubbe, ...

of 27–28 February 1933, the Prussian police began rounding up dozens of

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

opponents of the regime. The next morning, at a meeting at the Prussian Interior Ministry, Grauert proposed the passing of an emergency decree against arson and acts of terrorism to provide legal cover for the mass arrests and to deal with further acts of violence. This proposal was expanded by Reich Interior Minister

Wilhelm Frick Wilhelm Frick (12 March 1877 – 16 October 1946) was a German prominent politician of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and convicted war criminal who served as Minister of the Interior in Adolf Hitler's cabinet from 1933 to 1943 and as the last governor ...

to apply to all of Germany by giving the Reich government the right to intervene in any German state that did not maintain order. Thus, Grauert's draft formed the basis for the

, which suspended many of the fundamental rights of 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 ...

, thereby eliminating the rule of law and establishing the basis of the Nazi dictatorship. On 11 April 1933, Göring became the Prussian Minister President and promoted Grauert to State Secretary in the Prussian Interior Ministry, while the office of Ministerial Director passed to

Kurt Daluege Kurt Max Franz Daluege (15 September 1897 – 24 October 1946) was a German ''SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer'' and ''Generaloberst'' of the police, the highest ranking police officer, who served as chief of ''Ordnungspolizei'' (Order Police) of N ...

. On 1 May 1933, Grauert joined the Nazi Party (membership number 3,262,849) and he joined the ''

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It beg ...

'' (SS) on 2 June 1933 (SS number 118,475) with the rank of SS-''

Oberführer __NOTOC__ ''Oberführer'' (short: ''Oberf'', , ) was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) dating back to 1921. An ''Oberführer'' was typically an NSDAP member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geograph ...

''. On 22 June 1933, as State Secretary, Grauert issued the orders for the establishment of the Börgermoor concentration camp where hundreds of the regime's opponents were incarcerated. On 11 July 1933, Göring appointed Grauert to the recently 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 ...

. On 2 October 1933, he became a founding member of

Hans Frank Hans Michael Frank (23 May 1900 – 16 October 1946) was a German Nazi politician, lawyer and convicted war criminal who served as head of the General Government in German-occupied Poland during the Second World War. Frank was an early member ...

Academy for German Law The Academy for German Law () was an institute for legal research and reform founded on 26 June 1933 in Nazi Germany. After suspending its operations during the Second World War in August 1944, it was abolished after the fall of the Nazi regime on ...

and he was made chairman of the Committee on Police Law. When the Prussian Interior Ministry was merged with the Reich Interior Ministry under Frick on 1 November 1934, Grauert remained a State Secretary in the combined ministry. On 20 April 1935 he was promoted to SS-''

''.

Removal from office and subsequent events

However, on 17 June 1936, authority over all German police passed from the Interior Ministry to the SS under ''

Reichsführer-SS (, ) was a special title and rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945 for the commander of the (SS). ''Reichsführer-SS'' was a title from 1925 to 1933, and from 1934 to 1945 it was the highest Uniforms and insignia of the Schut ...

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...

, and Grauert lost his considerable power base. Also, for some time, he had been critical of the Party's attacks on the civil service, advocating for a professional elite corps. Opposition from Party leaders led to the Supreme Party Court opening an investigation against him. To forestall a proceeding that could result in a prison term, Grauert resigned from his post as State Secretary, effective 30 June 1936. Göring, however, retained his loyal protégé as an appointed member of the Prussian State Council. After leaving the civil service, Grauert returned to private industry in the energy sector, becoming a member of the Board of Directors of the ''Deutsche Continental Gasgesellschaft'' in

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

. He also became the chairman of the board of trustees for General and Internal Administration of the Berlin Administrative Academy. He also underwent military training in a ''

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

'' flak artillery unit and was the commander of an anti-aircraft regiment deployed in Denmark from November 1942 until August 1944, with the rank of ''

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...

'' of reserves. Grauert appeared as a defense witness for the SS at the

Nuremberg trials #REDIRECT Nuremberg trials {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from move ...

in 1946 and testified that any criminal actions committed during the early days of the regime were due to the chaotic state of the country at that time.The Avalon Project: Report on the Evidence of Witnesses for the Defense of Organizations Alleged to be Criminal, p.70
Retrieved 24 June 2023. Few details are known of his subsequent life and he died in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

in June 1964.

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grauert, Ludwig 1891 births 1964 deaths 20th-century German civil servants Conservative People's Party (Germany) politicians German Army personnel of World War I German industrialists German police chiefs Lawyers in the Nazi Party Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni Luftwaffe personnel of World War II Members of the Academy for German Law Members of the Prussian State Council (Nazi Germany) People from Münster Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 2nd class Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 2nd class Recipients of the War Merit Cross SS-Brigadeführer University of Münster alumni Witnesses to the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg