Photo: Free State of Prussia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons¹⁰

Walter Freitag

German politician (1889–1958)

Walter Freitag (14 August 1889 – 7 June 1958) was a German trade union leader and politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He served in the Landtag of Prussia from 1932 to 1933 until ousted after the Nazi seizure of power.²

From Wikipedia’s article on Walter Freitag (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Aug 14, 1889, died Jun 7, 1958.¹

About

Imprisoned until 1935, he was kept under police surveillance and remained largely unemployed throughout the Nazi period.After the end of the Second World War, he resumed a political career and served in the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1947 to 1950 and in the German Bundestag from 1949 to 1953. He also resumed his leadership in the German labor movement, serving as the chairman of the German Trade Union Confederation between 1952 and 1956.

From Wikipedia’s article on Walter Freitag, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.²

Companies

Confederation of German Trade UnionsChair 1952 to 1956⁹

Early life and education

Walter Freitag was born in Remscheid, the son of a locksmith, and trained as a toolmaker. In 1907, he became a union member and in 1908, a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). He fought with the German Imperial Army in the First World War from 1914 to 1918. Influenced by his front-line experiences, Freitag joined the more radical Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD) in 1917 and was a member of the Remscheid Workers' and Soldiers' Council in 1918.

From Wikipedia’s article on Walter Freitag (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: turner, union member, trade unionist, board member, social democrat, politician.⁵

1952 to 1956Chairperson, Confederation of German Trade Unions³
1949 to 1953Member of the German Bundestag³
1949 to 1952Chairperson, IG Metall³
1946 to 1949Chairperson, IG Metall³
Date not recordedMember of Landtag of Prussia³
Date not recordedLandrat³
Date not recordedMember of the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia^{3 4}

Personal life

BornAug 14, 1889, Remscheid⁶
DiedJun 7, 1958, Herdecke⁷
CitizenshipGermany⁸

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataWalter Freitag on Wikidata
2
WikipediaWalter Freitag on Wikipedia
3
WikidataWalter Freitag: Member of Landtag of Prussia, on Wikidata
4
WikidataMember of the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia, as reported
5
WikidataWalter Freitag: occupation, on Wikidata
6
WikidataWalter Freitag: place of birth, on Wikidata
7
WikidataWalter Freitag: place of death, on Wikidata
8
WikidataWalter Freitag: citizenship, on Wikidata
9
WikidataConfederation of German Trade Unions, Chair
10
Wikimedia CommonsWalter Freitag photo by Free State of Prussia, Public domain