His parents were Johann Adolf Erich Emminger (1856–1909), a Gymnasialprofessor, and his wife Marie Therese (1854–99), née Müller, daughter of an Augsburg notary.

[2] Emminger was a member of the Catholic Center Party (Zentrum) and, from 1913 to 1918 held a seat in the Imperial Reichstag for the constituency of Weilheim.

[2] Late 1923 was among the most tumultuous times of the Weimar Republic, bringing the peak of hyperinflation[8] and the ongoing Occupation of the Ruhr.

[3][9] One of Emminger's main goals as a politician and lawyer became a revaluation of the currency to partially offset the adverse social consequences of hyperinflation.

[2] Emminger left office on 15 April 1924 and his State Secretary, Curt Joël, took over as acting Minister of Justice.