Walter Schultz

Walter Schultz (27 November 1874 – 8 August 1953) was an official of the Nazi Party who served as the Party Gauleiter in Hesse-Nassau, as well as in several governmental posts.

Early life Schultz was born the son of a farmer in Lautenburg in West Prussia (today, Lidzbark, Poland). He went to the Gymnasium and graduated in 1894. He then entered military service as a Fahnenjunker (officer cadet) in the Baden Pioneer Battalion 14, headquartered in Kehl. He attended military school in Anklam and was commissioned a Leutnant in April 1896. He was then assigned to Pioneer Battalion 19 based in Strasbourg. On 18 November 1897, he transferred to the reserves and then returned to school. He studied mathematics and natural sciences at Leipzig University and the Marburg University, receiving a PhD in December 1902. He then passed the state teacher's examination and began teaching at the secondary level in a Realschule in Kassel. This was very short-lived, as a new permanent replacement, Karl Linder, was appointed on 1 October. Almost a year later, on 1 September 1927, Schultz relinquished active leadership of Gau Hesse-Nassau North and was placed on leave due to the demands of his academic work. He formally stepped down on 1 February 1928 and was succeeded by his Deputy Gauleiter, Karl Weinrich.

In April 1929, Schultz was promoted to Oberstudienrat (senior teacher). Over the next few years, he was twice prosecuted for Nazi political activity. From November 1929 to March 1933, he was the municipal delegate to Landkreis Kassel. In March 1933, he was elected as a deputy to the Kreistag (district council) of Landkreis Kassel, and was named first district deputy. From October 1934 until April 1937, he sat on the Provinzialrat (provincial council) for the Province of Hesse-Nassau. and in Landkreis Eschwege from April 1937 to May 1945.

In addition to his government posts, Schultz remained active in the Party organization, becoming the leader of the Municipal Politics Office in Gau Kurhessen in 1933; additionally, from 1938 he worked in the Main Office for Municipal Political Affairs in the Party's Reichsleitung (National Leadership). He served in both these posts until the end of the Nazi regime in May 1945.