Joseph Koeth

Joseph Koeth (7 July 1870 – 22 May 1936) was a German military officer and politician. During World War I he served as head of the Kriegsrohstoffabteilung (War Raw Materials Department – KRA) of the Prussian Ministry of War created by Walther Rathenau. After the German revolution of 1918, Koeth was in charge of economic demobilisation as a member of the first democratically elected government under Philipp Scheidemann. He again served briefly as a minister of the Weimar Republic under Gustav Stresemann in 1923.

Early life Joseph Koeth was born on 7 July 1870 in Lohr a. Main, Lower Franconia, then a part of the Kingdom of Bavaria. His father, Joseph (1829–1913) was a lawyer. His mother, Susanne (1845–1903), came from a farming family.

He was married to Helene (1874–1958), née Fenkohl from Eastern Prussia (a sister of , a painter). They had one son, who was killed in war.

He then served for nine years as a chief of battery in the 4th Badische Feldartillerie-Regiment Nummer 66 and in the training regiment Feldartillerie-Schießschule at Jüterbog (after 1904). After August 1909, Koeth worked at the Prussian Ministry of War (Feldartillerie-Abteilung, A 4). In March 1912, he was promoted to Major.

In March 1920, he took on the honorary chairmanship of the Geschäftsstelle für industrielle Abrüstung (Geifa) of the Reichsverband der deutschen Industrie/Sonderausschuß für industrielle Abrüstung (organisation for industrial disarmament).