Albert Grzesinski

Albert Carl Grzesinski (28 July 1879 – 12 January 1948) was a German SPD politician and Minister of the Interior of Prussia from 1926 to 1930.

Grzesinski was born Albert Lehmann in Treptow an der Tollense, Germany, the illegitimate son of a maid, and grew up with grandparents.

[1] He was removed from his position following the 1932 Preußenschlag (Prussian Coup), when he was succeeded by the police chief of Essen, Kurt Melcher.

According to Christopher Clark, he referred to Hitler as 'the foreigner' and found it 'lamentable' that he should be negotiating with the government 'instead of being chased away with a dog whip'.

[2] Following the Nazi rise to power, and with his name appearing on the first list[3] of Germans who were arbitrarily officially denaturalised according to a new law, which also ensued in the seizure of all his property in Germany, Grzesinski became stateless.