Franz Scheurmann

Franz Scheurmann (born May 8, 1892 in Berlin , † October 3, 1964 in Nordhorn ) was a German political scientist , the first professional mayor of the city of Schüttorf and district administrator of the Grafschaft Bentheim district .

He was a holder of the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon and received the only honorary citizenship of the city of Schüttorf so far . The Dr.-Scheurmann-Platz in Schüttorf is named after him.

Life

Franz Scheurmann was the son of the businessman Johann Karl Scheurmann and his wife Rosa, née Schmidt. He grew up in Barcelona and in the Rhenish-Westphalian industrial area. In 1912 he passed his Abitur at the secondary school in Elberfeld and from 1913 started an administrative career in the Rhenish city of Wald (today Solingen ). He then began part-time law studies in Bonn . From 1914 to 1918 he took part in the First World War.

On January 5, 1915, he married Martha Helene Solbach in Elberfeld (born March 26, 1893 in Elberfeld; † March 26, 1980 in Schüttorf). The marriage remained childless.

After the end of the war, Scheurmann continued to study municipal sciences and economics in Düsseldorf , followed by a degree in political science in Cologne , where he received his doctorate in November 1923 on “Productive poor welfare” .

mayor

In 1922 he acted as mayor in Bad Berka, on leave from his civil service position as administrative chief inspector in Wald . In 1923 he successfully applied for the advertised position as professional mayor in Schüttorf, where he held office from 1924 to 1942. When he took office on February 15, 1924, at the age of 31, he was one of the youngest mayors in Germany.

From 1925 to 1929 he was a top candidate in a non-partisan, conservative Upper Counts list of the Grafschafter district council . At the same time he was involved in the community council of the evangelical reformed community in Schüttorf. He campaigned for a strengthening of the urban character of Schüttorf, which had been granted city rights again on August 1, 1924 . So he systematically improved the condition of the streets, introduced a central water supply, took care of better care for the sick, as well as the construction of schools and sports facilities. He founded the volunteer fire brigade and initiated the establishment of a municipal savings bank .

time of the nationalsocialism

In contrast to most of the full-time mayors in the region, Scheurmann was initially able to survive the synchronization phase unscathed. Because of increasing conflicts with supra-local NSDAP committees, his re-election in 1936 was initially in jeopardy, so a signature list was drawn up for him to remain in office. Differences with the local NSDAP leader Arnold Horstmeyer (* 1894) and the NSDAP district leader Josef Ständer led to his removal from office in October 1942 . He was also banned from speaking and staying in the region, which forced him to move away. His application for retirement was granted in November 1943; He then worked in Neustadt am Rübenberge as a non-civil servant teacher at the Lower Saxony Community and Savings Bank School and as a speaker at the German Municipal Association , Hanover Regional Office.

District Administrator and Mayor

After the war ended, Scheurmann returned to Schüttorf. He was one of the founding members of the Grafschafter CDU, founded in February 1946, and served again as Schüttorf's mayor, this time on a voluntary basis, from February to September 1946. From November 28, 1948 to March 18, 1961 he was a member of the Grafschafter district assembly for the CDU and was a member of the city council of Schüttorf. From November 28, 1948 to January 9, 1951, he held the position of honorary district administrator for the county of Bentheim. In the state elections on May 6, 1951, Scheurmann was defeated by the SPD competitor Heinrich Specht, who was also involved as a local researcher, with 10,901 to 10,688 votes. From 1952 to 1956 Scheurmann was again the mayor of Schüttorf as the successor to the SPD mayor Johann Wenning (1894–1976). In 1956 the SPD regained the mayor's office for Wenning and Scheurmann was the city's first alderman from November 1956 to April 1961. For the term of office from 1956 to 1957 he was district chairman of the CDU, which then elevated him to district honorary chairman. In the following years he was a member of the CDU district executive committee.

He held a number of other offices, including the supervisory board and board of directors of the Kreissparkasse, the administrative board and board of directors or the advisory board of Bentheimer Eisenbahn as well as the board of directors of the home association of Grafschaft Bentheim .

Local history

Scheurmann had already started to publish treatises on local history and occupation-specific topics in Wald. Soon after moving to Schüttorf, he began to deal intensively with the regional history there and published numerous writings. He developed a particular interest in the seals and coats of arms of the region. During his term of office as the full-time mayor of Schüttorf, he built up a city archive, the destruction of which in the last days of the war meant a great loss for research into the city's history.

Honors

In May 1957, Franz Scheurmann received the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon.
On May 8, 1962, the city of Schüttorf awarded him the first and so far only honorary citizenship .
In addition, the Dr.-Scheurmann-Platz in Schüttorf was named after him in 1966.

Publications (selection)

• An Altbergian spice shop around 1850 , in: Cronenberger Anzeiger No. 16 of February 5, 1921.
• Housing free of compulsory economy , in: Walder Zeitung No. 164 of July 16, 1921.
• Von der Landgemeinde zur Landbürgermeisterei , in: Preußische Verwaltungs- und Finanzzeitung No. 17 of December 1, 1922, pp. 261–263.
• The historical development of the municipal boundary between Wald and Ohligs , in: Ohligser Anzeiger No. 9 of January 11, 1923.
• The situation in the Solingen industry. In: Bergische Zeitung No. 11 of January 14, 1923 and No. 12 of January 15, 1923.
• The first mayors of Merscheid, our current Ohligs , in: Bergische Zeitung from June 16, 1923 and June 23, 1923.
• Significance and tasks of modern job placement with regard to people with limited ability to work , in: Zeitschrift für Kommunalwirtschaft No. 13 of July 10, 1923, pp. 465–466, abbreviated in: Industrie-Anzeiger der Bergische Zeitung of April 18, 1923
• What will happen to the urban railways? in: Solinger Tageblatt No. 301 of December 27, 1923.
• Burden of craft, trade and industry by the municipal district tax, in: Solinger Tageblatt No. 245 of October 18, 1924, and: Anzeiger für Berg-, Metall- und Maschinenwesen No. 96 of September 9, 1924.
• Memorandum of the city administration of Schüttorf regarding regaining full city rights, Schüttorf 1924.
• The Vechtedurchstich near Schüttorf , in: SZ No. 102 from July 19, 1924.
• To what extent can municipalities be burdened with district taxes? , in: Kommunalpolitische Blätter No. 16 of August 25, 1924, pp. 274–275. Also in: Kommunales Echo from September 17, 1924.
• The bicycle tax , in: Kommunale Korrespondenz No. 5/6 of September 25, 1924.
• The Hanoverian hunting law , in: Zeitschrift der Landgemeinden No. 20 from October 25, 1924 and Kommunale Korrespondenz No. 7 from October 10, 1924.
• The night tax , in: Solinger Tageblatt No. 259 of November 4, 1924 and OZ No. 207 of September 3, 1924.
• Count Otto von Bentheim as a crusader , in: SZ No. 196 of November 6, 1924.
• The new council chamber in Schüttorf , in: SZ No. 22 of January 27, 1925, OZ No. 35 of February 11, 1925 and GWR No. 7 of February 15, 1925.
• The 'brilliant' position of the mayor, in : Der Bürgermeister Nr. 18 of September 25, 1925.
• Thoughts on Section 23, Paragraph 5 of the draft of a Reichsstädteordnung , in: Zentralblatt für Gemeindeverwaltungen No. 18 of September 30, 1925.
• The new law of lines of force , in: Zentralblatt für Gemeindeverwaltungen No. 21 of November 15, 1925.
• On the question of district taxes , in: Zentralblatt für Gemeindeverwaltungen No. 21 of November 15, 1925.
• Consecration of the monument in Schüttorf , in: GWR No. 1 of January 3, 1926.
• The reconstruction of the Walder Church , in: Die Heimat No. 9 from May 21, 1926.
• Memorandum of the City of Schüttorf regarding the necessity of building a water pipe and sewer system , Schüttorf 1926.
• How the city of Schüttorf confronts the misery of beggars , in: OZ No. 217 of August 10, 1926.
• The regaining of the ancient Schüttorf town charter and the reconstructed town seal , in: Möser-Blätter No. 22 of September 22, 1926 and BZ No. 259 of November 2, 1928.
• The new cattle market in Schüttorf , in: SZ No. 27 from February 1, 1927.
• The guild letter of the Schüttorfer Schmiede from the year 1387 , in: SZ No. 39 of February 16, 1927, OZ No. 24 of January 27, 1927 and GWR No. 8 of February 20, 1927.
• Municipal gym building , in: SZ No. 24 of January 28, 1928.
• Water pipeline for Schüttorf , in: SZ No. 30 of February 4, 1928.
• The fishing rights of the city of Schüttorf , in: SZ No. 91 of April 18, 1928 and NA No. 460 of April 26, 1928.
• Schüttorf, the venerable city! , in: NA No. 735 of July 5, 1928, BZ No. 259 of November 2, 1928 and OZ No. 178 of June 29, 1928.
• The church tower fire of 1684 , in: SZ No. 231 of October 2, 1929 and OZ No. 276 of September 28, 1929.
• The old Schüttorf citizen oath , in: SZ No. 21 from January 25, 1930 and OZ No. 25 from January 25, 1930.
• The old “Oath of Eight” , in: Heinrich Specht (editor), Grafschafter Heimat-Kalender for the year 1930, Neuenhaus undated, p. 92.
• The Schüttorf town charter from 1295 , in: OT No. 15096 of August 14, 1932, Grafschafter Observer No. 115 of August 16, 1932 and GWR No. 36 of September 4, 1932.
• 25 years of the 'Annaheim' hospital in Schüttorf , in: NA No. 648 of December 14, 1932 and SZ No. 291 of December 12, 1932.
• Schüttorf, the oldest town in the county of Bentheim . Description of an old town charter from 1203, in: NA No. 114 of March 2, 1933.
• Memorandum of the city of Schüttorf on the redesign of the market in the Upper County of Bentheim , Schüttorf 1933.
• The clock of the master Esselbrück , Schüttorf, 1784, in: SZ No. 282 from December 2, 1933 and OZ No. 335 from December 6, 1933.
• The old church tower clock , in: SZ No. 53 from March 3, 1934, NA No. 113 from March 3, 1934 and Grafschafter Observer No. 65 from March 7, 1934.
• Fire extinguishing then and now , in: SZ No. 59 from March 10, 1934 and NA No. 73 from March 15, 1934.
• Schüttorf's night watchman in the previous century , in: SZ No. 63 from March 15, 1934 and Grafschafter Observer No. 76 from March 18, 1934.
• Street lighting then and now , in: SZ No. 71 from March 24, 1934.
• How the Schüttorf municipal secondary school came into being , in: SZ No. 99 of April 28, 1934.
• The mayors of the city of Schüttorf since 1800 , in: SZ No. 150 from June 30, 1934.
• The constitution of the city of Schüttorf during the Hanover period, in: Grafschafter Observer of July 22, 1934.
• History, constitution and administration of the old town of Schüttorf in the previous century , in: SZ No. 109 of May 12, 1934, SZ No. 120 of May 26, 1934 (continued), SZ No. 126 of June 2, 1934 (continued) , SZ No. 144 of June 23, 1934 (continuation), SZ No. 147 of June 27, 1934 (conclusion).
• Schüttorf's handicrafts and trades in the previous century , in: SZ No. 93 from April 21, 1934 and Grafschafter Observer No. 111 from April 24, 1934.
• The storming of the town of Schüttorf in 1637 , in: SZ No. 183 from August 8, 1935.
• The Schüttorfer Apotheke , in: Bentheimer Heimatbote 2/1936, Neuenhaus 1936, pp. 37-42, and SZ No. 278 of November 27, 1936 and SZ No. 279 of November 28, 1938.
• Schüttorf, the oldest town in the county of Bentheim. Description of the old town charter from 1295 , in: Bentheimer Heimatkalender 1938, pp. 52–56.
• Bridge construction in Schüttorf then and now - The old and the new Vechtebrücken , in: Grafschafter Kreisblatt (Schüttorfer Zeitung) No. 248 of October 22, 1938.
• Schüttorf, an old German small town , in: Weserbergland Lower Saxony, illustrated monthly for the Weserbergland and Lower Saxony No. 9/1939.
• Coat of arms and seal of the city of Schüttorf , in: Das Bentheimer Land vol. 25, Nordhorn 1940.
• The archive of the city of Schüttorf, as it was created over the years and then destroyed in the town hall fire on April 4, 1945 , in: Bentheimer Heimatkalender 1950, pp. 27–30.
• The history of the county of Bentheim. The Bentheimer Land through the ages , in: Das Bentheimer Land Vol. 36, Nordhorn 1950.
• Franz Scheurmann / Hermann Schröter: Schüttorf, Kr. Grafschaft Bentheim , in: Erich Keyser, Niedersächsisches Städtebuch. Vol. III. Northwest Germany I. Lower Saxony and Bremen, Stuttgart 1952, pp. 329-332.
• Granting of coat of arms rights to the county of Bentheim , in: Grafschafter Nachrichten No. 238 of October 13, 1955.
• City of Bentheim - reintroduction of the old historical official seal , in: Grafschafter Nachrichten No. 238 of October 13, 1955.

literature

• Helmut Lensing: Scheurmann, Franz, Dr. in: Emsland history. ISBN 3-88319-208-2 . SS 296-304
• Helmut Lensing: Elections, parties and associations in Schüttorf from 1867 to 1933 , in: 700 years of city rights Schüttorf. 1295-1995. City of Schüttorf 1995, pp. 333-438.
• Eleven times at the ballot box. The political face of the county in the mirror of the elections , in: Grafschafter Nachrichten, anniversary edition of November 1, 1954.
• Mayor i. R. Scheurmann 70 years old , in: Grafschafter Nachrichten No. 106 of May 8, 1962.
• Retired Mayor Dr. Scheurmann is an honorary citizen of the city of Schüttorf , in: Grafschafter Nachrichten No. 107 of May 9, 1962.
• Schüttorf's Honorary Mayor Dr. Scheurmann died at the age of 72 years , in: Grafschafter Nachrichten No. 232 of October 5, 1964.

Web links

• Study Society for Emsland Regional History: Biography Franz Scheurmann