Administrations of Danzig before April 1945
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For administration of Danzig district, see Administration of West Prussia before 1919.
For administration after 1945, see Administrations of Gdansk since 1945
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2.1 Heads of State 2.2.1 Senators of Home Affairs / Senatoren für Inneres |
Prussian City County
Lord Mayors
Lord Mayors/Oberbürgermeister before 1920
- 1862-1890 - Leopold von Winter
- 1891-1896 - Karl Adolf von Baumbach
- 1896-1903 - Clemens G.ErnstDelbruck
- 1903-1910 - Heinrich Otto Ehlers
- 1910-1918 - Heinrich Scholtz
- 1919-1920 - Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm Martin Sahm
Chief Executive in 1920
Danziger Chief Executive Chairman of the Council of State
- 1920 - Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm Martin Sahm
Free City of Danzig (Freie Stadt Danzig)
In 1920 Danzig became a Free and Sovereign City under the Protection of the League of Nations.
Heads of State
Presidents of the Senate / Senatspräsidenten (also in charge of foreign affairs):
- 1920-1931 - Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm Martin Sahm
- 1931-1933 - Ernst Ziehm 1867 - 1962
- 1933-1934 - Hermann Rauschning 1887 - 1982
- 1934-1939 - Arthur Greiser 1897 - 1946
State President / Staatspräsident (3):
- 1939 Albert Forster 1902 - 195.
(3) The Senate, still headed by Greiser, continued to function as an executive body. _____________________________________________________________________________
Senators
Senators of Home Affairs / Senatoren für Inneres
- 1920-1924 - Wilhelm Schümmer
- 1924-1928 - Hubert Schwartz 1883 - 1966
- 1928-1929 - Friedrich Grünhagen 1876 - 1929
- 1929-1931 - Franz Arczynski*
- 1931-1933 - G. Hinz
- 1933-1939 - Artur Greiser
Senators of Justice / Senatoren für Justiz
- 1920-1925 - Albert Heinrich Frank
- 1925-1928 - Hubert Schwartz
- 1928-1931 - A. Evert
- 1931-1933 - Fritz Dumont
- 1933-1939 - Willibald Wiercinski-Keiser (since 1934 Wiers-Kaiser)
Senators of Finances / Senatoren für Finanzen
- 1921-1928 - Ernst Volkmann
- 1928-1931 - Bernhard Kamnitzer
- 1931-1939 - Julius Hoppenrath
Allied Representatives
High Commissioner
- 1919-1920 - Sir Reginald Thomas Tower (United Kingdom) 1860 - 1939
Representatives of the League of Nations
High Commissioners
The High Commissioners appointed by the League of Nations did not intervene in the internal affairs of the Free City. Their main task was to settle problems which could arise between Poland and the Free City.
- 1920 Col. Edward Lisle Strutt* (U.K.) 1874 - 1948
- 1920-1921 - Bernardo Attolico (Italy) 1880 - 1942
- 1921-1923 - Gen. Sir Richard Cyril Byrne Haking (U.K.) 1862 - 1945
- 1923-1925 - Mervyn Sorley McDonnell (U.K.) 1880 - 1949
- 1925-1929 - Joost Adriaan van Hamel (Neth.) 1880 - 1964
- 1929-1932 - Manfredi, Conte di Gravina dei Principi di Ramacca (Italy) 1883 - 1932
- 1932-1934 - Helmer Rostgaard GommesenRosting (Denmark) 1893 - 1945
- 1934-1936 - Seán Lester (Irish Free State) 1888 - 1959
- 1936-1937 - none
- 1937-1939 - Carl Jakob Burckhardt (Switz.) 1891 - 1974
Presidents of the Harbor Council
The Harbor Council was in charge of the harbor and all waterways of Danzig. It comprised 10 members (5 Danziger and 5 Poles) and was presided by a Swiss citizen (Nederbragt was an exception. He was appointed as he had successfully resolve an important traffic problem in Danzig the year before he was chosen
- 1921-1925 - James de Reynier (Switz.)
- 1925-1931 - Hugens de Loes (Switz.)
- 1931-1934 - Carl Josef Benziger (Switz.)
- 1934-1939 - Johan A. Nederbragt (Neth.)
General Commissioners of the Polish Republic
Based on the Peace Treaty of Versailles and on the Conventions of Paris and Warwaw (1919 - 1921), Poland retained however some economic privileges safeguarding its free access to the Baltic Sea:
- Polish civilian ships had free entry to the harbor,
- Poland took over the administration of the Danziger railways, which were now administered by the Direction of the Polish State Railways at Torun
- Poland had the right to maintain a separate Post Office (since 1925)
- Danzig and Poland were united in a customs union
- The same treaties also transferred to Poland all diplomatic and consular representations of Danzig, which did however retain the right to conclude treaties, join international organizations, etc.
General Commissioners of the Polish Republic (4) Komisarze Generalni Rzeczpospoltej Polskiej
Polish delegates
- 1919-1920 - Mieczyslaw Jalowiecki
Polish representatives
The Polish representatives were responsible for the liaison between the Senate and the Polish government.
- 1920-1921 - Maciej Biesiadecki
- 1921-1924 - Leon Pluciñski
- 1924-1932 - Henryk Leon Strasburger
- 1932-1936 - Kazimierz Papée
- 1936-1939 - Marian Chodacki
(2)
- Later (in 1924, with effect from 1926) the League of Nations also allowed Poland to establish a munition depot on the Westerplatte peninsula and to maintain a small garrison (ca 90 men)
Polish Commanders of Westerplatte
- 1926-1926 - Com. Ignacy Szaniawski
- 1926-1927 - Com. Borys Mohuczy
- 1927-1931 - Com. Józef Czechowicz
- 1931-1934 - Capt. Jan Litynski
- 1934-1938 - Maj. Stefan Fabiszewski (1896-1974)
- 1938-1939 - Maj. Henryk Sucharski (1898-1946), captured by German Army
Other Officials
German Danzig 1939-1945
In 1939 the Free City of Danzig was annexed to the German Reich. After a brief transitional period, its territory became part of the restored Regierungsbezirk Danzig in the Reichsgau Danzig-Westpreussen.
Chief Executives
Head of the Civil Administration of Danzig:
- 1939 Albert Forster
Danzig(-Stadt) City County
Lord Mayor/Oberbürgermeister:
- 1939-1945 - Georg Lippke
Danzig-Land (Rural) County
formed by the merger of Danziger-Höhe and part of Danziger Niederung
Supervisors/Landräte:
- 1939-1943 - Erwin Johst
- 1943-1945 - ...
Dirschau County
Supervisors/Landräte:
- 1940-1943 - Reinhold Isendick
- 1943-1945 - ...
Elbing-Land (Rural) County
Supervisors/Landräte:
- 1926-1945 - Karl Cichorius
Grosses Werder County
formed by the merger of Marienburg and part of Danziger Niederung
Supervisors/Landräte:
- 19..-1941 ...
- 1941-1942 ... Jansson*
- 1942-1944 Ernst Wallhöfer
- 1944-1945 ...
Karthaus County
Supervisors/Landräte:
- 1940-1945 - Herbert Busch
Neustadt County
Supervisors/Landräte:
- 1939-1945 - Heinz Lorenz
Zoppot City County
Lord Mayors/Oberbürgermeister:
- 1939-1941 - Erich Temp
- 1942-1942 - ... Koss*
- 1942-1943 - ... Schröder
- 1943-1945 - ...
Administration after 1945
In 1945 Danzig was conquered by the Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front Army Group commanded by Konstantin Rokossovsky, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1896 - 1968). Soon afterwards the whole territory was transferred to the Polish administration, later becoming part of the Gdansk Voivodship. (5) See: Administrations of Gdansk since 1945.
(5) City President of Gdansk / Prezydent Miasta Gdanska:
- 1945-1946 - Franciszek Kotus-Jankowski
Polish names :
Berent = Koscierzyna Dirschau = Tczew Elbing = Elblag Gotenhafen (during Nazi occupation 1939-1945, earlier Gdingen) = Gdynia Karthaus = Kartuzy Neustadt = Morski Zoppot = Sopot