John Schehr
John Schehr (9 February 1896 – 1 February 1934) was a German political activist who became a Communist Party politician and ultimately, chairman (leader) of the party, following the arrest on 3 March 1933 of Ernst Thälmann. By this time the country was very rapidly being transformed into a one-party dictatorship, meaning that the party John Schehr led was outlawed, with those members of the leadership team who had not escaped abroad now living "underground" (unregistered) and in hiding. Schehr was nevertheless arrested on 13 November 1933 and taken to a Berlin concentration camp. He died when he was one of four men shot by Gestapo officials, reportedly "while escaping" during an overnight transport, following arrest.
John Schehr | |
|---|---|
John Schehr | |
| Chairman of the Communist Party of Germany | |
| In office 1933–1933 | |
| Preceded by | Ernst Thälmann |
| Member of the Reichstag | |
| In office July 1932 – 1933 | |
| Member of the Landtag of Prussia | |
| In office 1932–1932 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 9, 1896 Ottensen, Altona, Hamburg, German Empire |
| Died | February 1, 1934 (aged 37) Schäferberg, Berlin-Wannsee, Nazi Germany |
| Political party | Communist Party of Germany (1919–) |
| Other political affiliations | Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (1917–1919) Social Democratic Party of Germany (1912–1917) |
| Spouse | Anna |
| Occupation | Politician |
After the Nazi regime ended, Schehr and his three murdered comrades became celebrated, for the benefit of a new generation, in the German Democratic Republic by means of a poem written, probably, shortly after the killing, by Erich Weinert.