Rupprecht von Keller

Rupprecht von Keller (* 19th March 1910 in Schöneberg ; † 19th July 2003 in Tutzing ) was a German diplomat in the era of National Socialism and the Federal Republic.

Life

Of Keller's parents are Friedrich von Keller , until his dismissal by the National Socialist government in 1935 as German ambassador to the League of Nations in Geneva, and Irene von Landmann, daughter of the Bavarian Minister of Education, Robert von Landmann . He attended the Ettal Abbey boarding school , where he graduated from high school. This was followed by stays abroad in Brussels and Buenos Aires ; 1928–1931 Law studies in Lausanne and Munich and first state examination, then 1931–1935 traineeship in Munich and London and passing of the second state examination. In Munich, Keller became a member of the Catholic student union Rheno-Bavaria (in the KV ). After the National Socialists came to power, he joined the Marine SA in Bavaria to secure his traineeship position. He left in 1935.

In 1936, after passing the entrance exam, he was accepted by the Foreign Office (AA) and returned to Berlin . 1937–1938, posted as attaché to the German mission in Helsingfors , Finland. Subsequently, 1939–1940, consultant, temporarily in the political department of the Foreign Office in Berlin. On April 1, 1940, he became a member of the NSDAP . He volunteers for the Navy in order to counter discrimination and further investigations due to his non-Aryan origin. From 1940 to 1944 he served, most recently as lieutenant and adjutant to the Commander-in-Chief of the North Navy in Norway , and from 1944 to the end of the war as a liaison officer to the OKW in the Foreign Office in Berlin and Garmisch-Partenkirchen . After internment of 13 October 1945 to 31 March 1946 by the Americans and the denazification he took over in 1947 as an attorney at the Nuremberg High Command Trial defense of General Rudolf Lehmann , the defense of the Chief Representative of IG Farben Georg von Schnitzler in IG Farben process and also has a mandate in the legal process . In 1948 he became secretary of the committee for the unbundling of IG Farben in the American and British occupation zones, based in Frankfurt am Main. In 1949 he married Christa von Behr .

In 1950 he was appointed to the organization office for the reconstruction of the Foreign Office by Wilhelm Haas , who later became the head of the Human Resources Department at the Foreign Office, and was appointed head of training for the next generation. In 1952 he was transferred as counselor to Ankara and in 1954 as counselor and chargé d'affaires to Spain (1954–1956). In 1957 he was transferred back to Bonn as head of the legal department in the commercial and political department of the Foreign Office. During this time, several bilateral trade agreements were negotiated, including a. with Malaysia, Iran, Pakistan, and various African countries. 1964–1969 he was appointed the first observer in the rank of ambassador to the United Nations Office and representative to its sub-organizations in Geneva and from 1966 was also accredited as Consul General for the cantons of Geneva, Valais and Vaud. After he was transferred back to Bonn in 1969, he was deputy head of the legal department of the Foreign Office. In August 1972 he was appointed ambassador to Canada and held this office until he retired in 1975. He spent his twilight years until his death in 2003 at the family home on Lake Starnberg . In 1965 he was awarded the Great Cross of Merit with Star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany . Two children: Dr. Eugen von Keller (born 1950) and Cordula von Keller (born 1958)

literature

• Maria Keipert (Red.): Biographical Handbook of the German Foreign Service 1871–1945. Published by the Foreign Office, Historical Service. Volume 2: Gerhard Keiper, Martin Kröger: G – K. Schöningh, Paderborn et al. 2005, ISBN 3-506-71841-X .

Web links

• Rupprecht von Keller in the Munzinger archive ( beginning of article freely accessible)
• Entry In: Gerhard Köbler : Who was who in German law (online version)