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Leinert, Robert

Robert Leinert

b. 16 Dec 1873, Striesen, near Dresden
d. 10 Feb 1940, Hannover

Title: Vorsitzender des Zentralrats der deutschen sozialistischen Republik (Chairman of the Central Council of the German Socialist Republic)
Term: 20 Dec 1918 - 14 Apr 1919
Chronology: 19 Dec 1918, elected member of Zentralrat (Central Council) by the First Reich Congress of Councils
  20 Dec 1918, elected chairman, meeting of the Zentralrat [1]
  21 Dec 1918, joint resolution of Zentralrat and Vollzugsrat der Arbeiter- und Soldatenrate Groß-Berlins on transferring the high state authority to the Zentralrat [1]
  14 Apr 1919, term of the Zentralrat members expired with election of the new Central Council by the Second Reich Congress of Councils
Biography:

Before joining workers' movement, Robert Leinert worked as painter and became a working secretary in Hannover (1900), where he also edited the "Volkswille" newspaper (1903-1905). As a socialist candidate, Leinert was elected to the Prussian House of Representatives (1908-1918). On 8 Nov 1918 he became the Mayor of Hannover, the post he held until 1924. Leinert was a delegate to the First Reich Congress of Councils (16 Dec 1918 - 21 Dec 1918), and its co-chairman together with Friedrich Seger and Josef Gomolka. On 19 Dec 1918, the Reich Congress elected Leinert a member of the Zentralrat der deutschen sozialistischen Republik (Central Council of the German Socialist Republic). The next day (20 Dec 1918), he was chosen one of the Central Council chairmen and presided most of its meetings. In 1919 Leinert was elected to the Prussian constituent assembly, which met in March 1919, and headed the delegation sent to negotiate a peace treaty with the Allied Powers. Retaining his office as Mayor of Hannover, Leinert was not reelected to the Central Council when the Second Reich Congress of Councils (8 Apr 1919 - 14 Apr 1919) held elections to this body on 14 Apr 1919. In 1919-1933, Leinert was a member of the Prussian Landtag, of which he was also president in 1919-1924. Biography source: [2]


[1] "Der Zentralrat der Deutschen Sozialistischen Republik 19.12.1918 - 8.4.1919" from the series: "Quellen zur Geschichte der Rätebewegung in Deutschland 1918/19" (Leiden: Verlag E. J. Brill, 1968).
[2] "Biographisches Handbuch der Reichsratekongresse 1918/19", (Dusseldorf: Droste, 2000).
  Image: contemporary photograph.