Friedrich Emil Rittershaus (3 April 1834 – 8 March 1897) was a German poet.

He was born in Barmen (now Wuppertal), Kingdom of Prussia.

His poetry, marked by simple feeling, fine diction, and original matter, won great popularity.

His daughter, Adeline, was a philologist, scholar, and champion for the equality of women.

[2] He knew Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and wrote several letters to them in 1867–1868.