Karl Horn (politician, 1888)

Karl Horn (born June 3, 1888 in Nieder-Olm , Rheinhessen, † July 13, 1971 in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe ) was a German politician ( CDU ) and Lord Mayor of Bad Homburg.

education and profession

Karl Horn was the fifth of ten children of a farmer. After attending elementary school, he worked as a worker for the Frankfurt municipal utilities from October 3, 1911 . In 1913 he became an employee and in 1915 an official of the municipal utilities. He continued his education and passed the examination in political science and economics. In 1925 he became head of the economic department of the Frankfurt Transport Office.

politics

In 1926 he was elected mayor of Oberursel and stayed there until he was ousted as part of the seizure of power in 1933. In 1934 he was appointed first alderman and city treasurer in Wetzlar . He held this position until his arrest in 1943.

arrest

On December 5, 1943, Karl Horn was arrested for " defeatist statements". At a private event held by the businessman Ernst Leitz in June 1943, he had expressed doubts about the “ final victory ” and had been reported by other guests.

Leitz stood up for him in the Reich Ministry of Economics and stated as a witness in the following court hearing that the statements had not been made. Because of a lack of evidence, Horn was released from custody on June 24, 1944. He lost his position as treasurer of the city of Wetzlar and took over the management of the non-profit housing company in Wiesbaden.

Renewed political activity after the war

The American military government reinstated him in his previous office in Wetzlar in May 1945 and appointed him mayor shortly afterwards. After four months, however, he resigned in protest at the manner in which denazification was carried out and retired on January 1, 1946 at the age of 57. Two years later he ran for the CDU, which he had since joined, as Lord Mayor of Bad Homburg. On July 1, 1948, he took office. The focus of his work was the housing sector, the settlement of businesses, the building of schools and ensuring the water supply for the growing city. During his term of office there were initiatives to form town twinning. On July 2, 1962, he resigned from office. His successor was Armin Klein .

Karl Horn died on July 13, 1971 at the age of 83. He was buried in the forest cemetery in Bad Homburg.

Honors

In 1957, Karl Horn received the Freiherr vom Stein plaque as an award for his community work. In 1958 he was honored with the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany . In 1962 the city of Bad Homburg made him an honorary citizen. On June 3, 1968 he received the Bad Homburg badge of honor.

The Karl-Horn-Straße in Kirdorf and a promenade in the spa gardens were named after Karl Horn . His bust, created by Otto Weber-Hartel, is in a conference room in the town hall.

literature

• Gerta Walsh: Horn watered Homburg. In: Taunuszeitung. June 4th and 5th, 2008.
• Knut Kühn-Leitz (Ed.): Ernst Leitz. An entrepreneur with moral courage during the Nazi era. Hanau 2008, ISBN 978-3-937774-50-3 .
• Yearbook of the Hochtaunuskreis. 2006, p. 203.