He studied mathematics and natural sciences at the University of Halle, receiving his doctorate in 1906.
In 1909 he became a schoolteacher in Burg bei Magdeburg, and from 1913 taught classes at the technical school in Danzig.
In 1920 he was appointed divisional director at the Danzig Museum of Natural History and Prehistory.
[1] He made contributions regarding the plant families Alangiaceae, Cornaceae, Garryaceae and Nyssaceae in Engler's Das Pflanzenreich.
[2] The botanical genus Wangerinia (E.Franz, 1908; family Caryophyllaceae) is probably named after him, although etymological data is lacking.