Heinrich Sahm
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm Martin Sahm (12 September 1877-3 October 1939), no party affiliation, was a German
lawyer, mayor and statesman from the Free City of Danzig
.
Sahm was born in Anklam
, present-day Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and educated as a lawyer
, in 1906 he became a member of the Magdeburg
city council and served from 1912 to 1919 as a deputy mayor of Bochum
. In the meantime he also worked in the government of occupied Warsaw
during World War I
.
In 1919 he was elected mayor of Danzig, a city that had formerly belonged to the German Empire
. In the same year Danzig and the surrounding territory was to be severed from Germany and turned into a city-state
according to the Versailles treaty
. After the establishment of the Free City of Danzig
in 1920, Sahm became first President of the Senate
, the de-facto head of state beneath the High Commissioner
of the League of Nations
. Sahm protested against the take-over of the sea resort town (Ostseebad) Westerplatte
by the League of Nations
and Poland's establishment of a military transport depot. He held the office until 1931, re-elected two times.
While Poland
was in charge for Danzig's foreign affairs, citizens had to take on a separate Danzig citizenship or, if they wanted to retain their German citizenship, had to move out of the territory. Sahm politics aimed to strengthen the Free City's ties to the Weimar Republic
and to ward off Polish claims; nevertheless the relations with Poland intermittently improved after the implementation of a customs union
and the institution of the Danzig gulden
in 1923, which protected Danzig from the hyperinflation
in Germany. A nonpartisan, he proceeded tactically along party lines, which caused several difficulties in his government and finally led to his demise by the Danzig German National People's Party
.
In 1931 he became mayor of Berlin, a position he held even after the government takeover of the Nazi Party in 1933, though actually disempowered by the appointment of state commissioner Julius Lippert
. He finally was forced to resign in 1935 and was appointed a German envoy to Norway
one year later.
Sahm died in Oslo
. He is buried at the Waldfriedhof Dahlem
in Berlin
.
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, mayor and statesman from the Free City of Danzig
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
.
Sahm was born in Anklam
Anklam
Anklam is a town in the Western Pomerania region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the banks of the Peene river, just 8 km from its mouth in the Kleines Haff, the western part of the Stettin Lagoon. Anklam has a population of 14,603 and was the capital of the former...
, present-day Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and educated as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, in 1906 he became a member of the Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
city council and served from 1912 to 1919 as a deputy mayor of Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...
. In the meantime he also worked in the government of occupied Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
In 1919 he was elected mayor of Danzig, a city that had formerly belonged to the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
. In the same year Danzig and the surrounding territory was to be severed from Germany and turned into a city-state
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
according to the Versailles treaty
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...
. After the establishment of the Free City of Danzig
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
in 1920, Sahm became first President of the Senate
President of the Senate
The President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate, and is the speaker of other assemblies.The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for example, the President of the Senate of Nigeria is second in line...
, the de-facto head of state beneath the High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. Sahm protested against the take-over of the sea resort town (Ostseebad) Westerplatte
Westerplatte
Westerplatte is a peninsula in Gdańsk, Poland, located on the Baltic Sea coast mouth of the Dead Vistula , in the Gdańsk harbour channel...
by the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
and Poland's establishment of a military transport depot. He held the office until 1931, re-elected two times.
While Poland
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
was in charge for Danzig's foreign affairs, citizens had to take on a separate Danzig citizenship or, if they wanted to retain their German citizenship, had to move out of the territory. Sahm politics aimed to strengthen the Free City's ties to 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...
and to ward off Polish claims; nevertheless the relations with Poland intermittently improved after the implementation of a customs union
Customs union
A customs union is a type of trade bloc which is composed of a free trade area with a common external tariff. The participant countries set up common external trade policy, but in some cases they use different import quotas...
and the institution of the Danzig gulden
Danzig gulden
The Gulden was the currency of Free City of Danzig between 1923 and 1939. It was divided into 100 Pfennige.Until 1923, Danzig issued paper money denominated in Marks...
in 1923, which protected Danzig from the hyperinflation
Hyperinflation
In economics, hyperinflation is inflation that is very high or out of control. While the real values of the specific economic items generally stay the same in terms of relatively stable foreign currencies, in hyperinflationary conditions the general price level within a specific economy increases...
in Germany. A nonpartisan, he proceeded tactically along party lines, which caused several difficulties in his government and finally led to his demise by the Danzig German National People's Party
German National People's Party
The German National People's Party was a national conservative party in Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of the NSDAP it was the main nationalist party in Weimar Germany composed of nationalists, reactionary monarchists, völkisch, and antisemitic elements, and...
.
In 1931 he became mayor of Berlin, a position he held even after the government takeover of the Nazi Party in 1933, though actually disempowered by the appointment of state commissioner Julius Lippert
Julius Lippert (politician)
Julius Lippert was a German politician in the Nazi party.Born in Basel, Switzerland, he became an extreme anti-Semite in his youth after reading the anti-Semitic philosophers Joseph Arthur Comte de Gobineau and Houston Stewart Chamberlain...
. He finally was forced to resign in 1935 and was appointed a German envoy to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
one year later.
Sahm died in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. He is buried at the Waldfriedhof Dahlem
Waldfriedhof Dahlem
The Waldfriedhof Dahlem is a cemetery in Berlin, in the district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf on the edge of the Grunewald forest at Hüttenweg 47. Densely planted with conifers and designed between 1931 and 1933 after the plans of Albert Brodersen, it is one of Berlin's more recent cemeteries...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.