Hermann Schmitz

Hermann Schmitz (1 January 1881 – 8 October 1960) was a German industrialist and Nazi war criminal. CEO of IG Farben from 1935 to 1945, he was sentenced to four years in prison in the IG Farben Trial.

Early life and war service Schmitz was born in Essen on 1 January 1881, son of factory worker Diedrich Schmitz and Luise Wöhrmann. In 1898, he began studying at Ahrenbergische Aktiengesellschaft für Bergbau und Hüttenbetrieb in Hessen, and in 1905 he entered the Commerce College in Nuremberg. After completing his studies, he was hired by Metallurgische Gesellschaft (metallurgy company), where after some time he became consultant of Wilhelm Merton, member of the supervisors' council of the company, who helped Schmitz promote his career.

In 1914, Schmitz served in the Imperial German Army with Infantry Regiment 81 during the First World War. He was a Leutnant of reserves and was severely wounded in action in October 1914, earning the Wound Badge and the Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd class. After recovering from his injuries, he was made a commissioner in the Prussian War Ministry (War Raw Materials Department) from 1915 to 1916. From 1917 to 1918, he was an economic advisor to the Reich Treasury.

Interwar years In 1919, as an expert in fertilizers and nitric salts, Schmitz took part in the assembly that negotiated the Treaty of Versailles. There he met Carl Bosch, a chemist of worldwide fame. In July 1919 Schmitz was hired at BASF by Bosch as his financial advisor. He was promoted to administrator of BASF's exterior department, a position he maintained after the company became part of IG Farben. As per his job requirements he maintained contacts with large businesses, such as Standard Oil, with which he took part in negotiations, always having the support of that era's governments in the interests of IG Farben. He was elected to the central committee of the Reichsbank in 1927, and to the administrative board of the Deutsche Reichsbahn in 1929. He was also made a member of Hans Frank's Academy for German Law. In April 1935, he succeeded Carl Bosch as IG Farben's chief executive officer (CEO). In 1935, he was appointed a war economy leader (Wehrwirtschaftsführer).

Schmitz died in Heidelberg on 8 October 1960.