Joseph Wirth
| Joseph Wirth | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Chancellor of Germany | |
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In office 10 May 1921 – 14 November 1922 |
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| Preceded by | Konstantin Fehrenbach |
| Succeeded by | Wilhelm Cuno |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Karl Joseph Wirth 6 September 1879 Freiburg/Breisgau |
| Died | 3 January 1956 (aged 76) Freiburg |
| Political party | Catholic Centre Party |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Karl Joseph Wirth, known as Joseph Wirth, (6 September 1879 Freiburg im Breisgau – 3 January 1956 Freiburg im Breisgau) was a German politician of the Catholic Centre Party who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1921 to 1922, for 585 days. During the post-war era, he participated in the neutralist Alliance of Germans party.
Joseph Wirth was born on 6 September 1879 in Freiburg/Breisgau in what was then the Grand Duchy of Baden as the son of the Maschinenmeister (working engineer) Karl Wirth and his wife Agathe (née Zeller). According to Wirth himself, the Christian and social involvement of his parents had a strong impact on him.
From 1899 to 1906 he studied mathematics, natural sciences and economics at the University of Freiburg finishing with a dissertation in mathematics.
From 1906 to 1913 Wirth worked as a teacher at a Realgymnasium in Freiburg. In 1909, he was a co-founder and first president of the Akademische Vinzenzkonferenz, a charity run by laymen for the poor.
In 1911, he was elected to the Freiburg city council for the Catholic Zentrum. From 1913 to 1921, he was a member of the Badischer Landtag, the diet of the Grand Duchy (later the Republic of Baden).
In 1914, Wirth became a member of the Reichstag. His main focus was on social issues. At the start of World War I Wirth volunteered for military service but was deemed unfit to serve for health reasons. He then joined the Red Cross. From 1914-17 he worked as a nurse on the western and eastern fronts. After contracting pneumonia, he had to stop this work.
In July 1917, Wirth voted in the Reichstag for the "peace resolution" sponsored by Matthias Erzberger.
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