Walter Simons

Walter Simons (24 September 1861 – 14 July 1937) was a German lawyer and politician. He was Foreign Minister of the Weimar Republic in 1920-1921 and served as president of the Reichsgericht from 1922 to 1929.

Early life Walter Simons was born on 24 September 1861 at Elberfeld (today Wuppertal) in the Prussian Rhine Province. His family were Huguenots who had come to the Rhineland after 1685. Walter's father was Ludwig Simons (1831–1905), a silk manufacturer. His mother was Helene Simons née Kyllmann (1842–1916).

Walter Simons attended a Gymnasium at Elberfeld and attained the Abitur in 1879. He went on to study law, economics and history at Strasbourg, Leipzig and Bonn. Rudolph Sohm had an important influence on him. In 1882, he passed the Referendarexamen and then served in the military. In 1888, he passed the Prussian Assessorexamen and then served as an assistant judge at Bonn and Solingen. He married Erna Rühle (1870–1954) at Solingen in 1890. They had three sons and four daughters.

Awards 1931 : Adlerschild des Deutschen Reiches (Eagle Shield of the German Reich).

Selected works Christentum und Verbrechen (Christianity and Crime), 1925; Religion und Recht (Religion and Law) (Lectures held at Uppsala University), Berlin-Tempelhof 1936; Kirchenvolk und Staatsvolk, Leipziger rechtswissenschaftliche Studien Bd. 100, Leipzig 1937.