Kurt Paul Schmitt (7 October 1886 – 2 November 1950) was a German jurist versed in economic matters.

His antisemitic views led him to believe that the role Jews played in politics, law and the arts was excessive, and had to be drastically curtailed if not totally eliminated.

After the fall of the Nazi regime, he was removed from all his positions and underwent denazification procedures which resulted in the payment of a fine.

During these years, he made a name for himself as one of the most gifted leaders when it came to organization in the Weimar Republic's insurance industry.

[1] Allianz's leadership, represented by directors Kurt Schmitt and Eduard Hilgard, led a policy of drawing nearer to the Nazis, even before they seized power.

Heinrich Brüning and Franz von Papen tried without success to get Schmitt a ministerial office.

Moreover, he had a latent antisemitic attitude, which Gerald D. Feldmann describes as follows: "Schmitt shared the belief that Jews were overrepresented within the academic professions, and that the rôle that they played in politics, law, and the arts would have to be greatly limited, if not utterly eliminated.

When Schmitt wanted to replace the Reich Federation of German Industry with overall state control, he ran up against concentrated resistance from business leaders.

On 30 January 1935, Hitler approved Schmitt's dismissal from ministerial office and Schacht formally became Reich and Prussian Economy Minister.

[4] After coming back from his extended leave in 1935, Schmitt took over the chairmanship in the supervisory board of AEG AG and the Deutsche Continental Gasgesellschaft (a gas company) in Dessau.