Friedrich Ringshausen

Friedrich Ringshausen
Friedrich Ringshausen
Gauleiter of Gau Hesse-Darmstadt
	In office; 1 March 1927 – 9 January 1931
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Peter Gemeinder
Head of Ministerial Department II; People's State of Hesse
	In office; 1 July 1933 – 17 February 1941
Reichstag Deputy for Hesse-Darmstadt
	In office; 14 September 1930 – 17 February 1941
Personal details
Born	28 June 1880; German National People’s Party; Deutschvölkischer Schutz- und Trutzbund
Profession	Teacher

Friedrich Ringshausen (28 June 1880 in Nidda – 17 February 1941 in Darmstadt) was an official of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the Gauleiter of Gau Hesse-Darmstadt and in the State government of the People's State of Hesse.

Early years

The son of a master glazier, Ringshausen attended school in Nidda, and then teacher training college in

German National People’s Party (DNVP), an alliance of nationalists, reactionary monarchists, völkisch and antisemitic elements.^[1]

Nazi career

In September 1923, he joined the Nazi Party and founded an ortsgruppe (Local Group) in Offenbach am Main, serving as the

Rheinhessen and Starkenburg).^[2]

On 7 November, 1929 he became a member of the Offenbach Stadtrat (City Council) and also of the Starkenburg Provincial Landtag. In September 1930, he was elected to the Reichstag from electoral constituency 33, (Hesse-Darmstadt) and remained a Reichstag Deputy until his death. Also in that year, Ringshausen joined the National Socialist Teachers League and became its chairman in Hesse, retaining this position until his death.^[3]
On 9 January 1931, Ringshausen was given a leave of absence from his Gauleiter position, and was succeeded by Peter Gemeinder. Ringshausen was posted to the Party’s Reichsleitung (National Leadership) office at the Brown House in Munich. He became a Reichsredner (National Speaker) and was engaged in propaganda activity. He would not return to his prior post, as Gau Hesse-Darmstadt on 1 January 1933 was merged with the neighboring Gau Hesse-Nassau South to form Gau Hesse-Nassau under Jakob Sprenger. Instead, Ringshausen became Gauinspekteur and head of the Party’s Office of Education in Gau Hesse-Nassau. He would retain these Party assignments until his death.^[4]
After the

Auslands-Organisation.^[5]

A member of the Sturmabteilung (SA), Ringshausen was promoted to SA-Standartenführer on 30 January 1938. He died on 17 February 1941.^[6]