1903 in Germany

Events in the year 1903 in Germany.

Incumbents

National level

• Emperor – Wilhelm II
• Chancellor – Bernhard von Bülow

State level

Kingdoms

• King of Bavaria – Otto
• King of Prussia – Wilhelm II
• King of Saxony – George
• King of Württemberg – William II

Grand duchies

• Grand Duke of Baden – Frederick I
• Grand Duke of Hesse – Ernest Louis
• Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin – Frederick Francis IV
• Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Frederick William
• Grand Duke of Oldenburg – Frederick Augustus II
• Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach – William Ernest

Principalities

• Schaumburg-Lippe – George, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
• Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt – Günther Victor, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
• Schwarzburg-Sondershausen – Karl Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
• Principality of Lippe – Alexander, Prince of Lippe (with Ernest II, Count of Lippe-Biesterfeld as regent)
• Reuss Elder Line – Heinrich XXIV, Prince Reuss of Greiz (with Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line as regent)
• Reuss Younger Line – Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line
• Waldeck and Pyrmont – Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

Duchies

• Duke of Anhalt – Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt
• Duke of Brunswick – Prince Albert of Prussia (regent)
• Duke of Saxe-Altenburg – Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
• Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
• Duke of Saxe-Meiningen – Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

Colonial governors

• Cameroon (Kamerun) – Jesko von Puttkamer (8th term)
• Kiaochow (Kiautschou) – Oskar von Truppel
• German East Africa (Deutsch-Ostafrika) – Gustav Adolf von Götzen
• German New Guinea (Deutsch-Neuguinea) – Albert Hahl (2nd term)
• German Samoa (Deutsch-Samoa) – Wilhelm Solf
• German South-West Africa (Deutsch-Südwestafrika) – Theodor Leutwein
• Togoland – Waldemar Horn

Events

• 13 February – Venezuelan crisis. After agreeing to arbitration in Washington, Britain, Germany and Italy reach a settlement with Venezuela, resulting in the Washington Protocols. The naval blockade that began in December 1902 will be lifted, and Venezuela commit 30% of its customs duties to settling claims.
• 16 June – German federal election, 1903: The Centre Party remains the largest party in the Reichstag. Shortly after the election, the National-Social Association is dissolved by its leader Friedrich Naumann, and its members join the Free-minded Union.
• 29 September – Prussia becomes the second jurisdiction to require mandatory driver's licenses for operators of motor vehicles, after New York State in 1901.

Undated

• German company August Storck is founded.

Births

• 7 January – Albrecht Haushofer, German geographer, diplomat and writer (died 1945)
• 18 January
• Berthold Goldschmidt, German composer (died 1996 in the United Kingdom)
• Werner Hinz, German actor (died 1985)
• 10 February – Karl Deichgräber, classical philologist (died 1984)
• 24 February – Franz Burda I, German publisher (died 1986)
• 27 February – Grethe Weiser, German actress (died 1970)
• 6 March
• Erna Herchenröder, German trade unionist and politician (died 1977)
• Franz Wessel, German judge (died 1958)
• 24 March – Adolf Butenandt, German chemist (died 1995)
• 26 April – Alex Möller, German politician (died 1985)
• 27 April – Karl Maron, German politician (died 1975)
• 8 June – Eduard Brücklmeier, German diplomat (died 1944)
• 10 June:
• Robert A. Stemmle, German film director and screenwriter (died 1974)
• Theo Lingen, German actor, screenwriter and film director (died 1978)
• 16 July – Fritz Bauer, German judge (died 1968)
• 22 July:
• Willi Dehnkamp, German politician (died 1985)
• Anton Saefkow, German politician (died 1944)
• 26 July – Kurt Mahler, German mathematician (died 1988)
• 31 July – Emil Hirschfeld, German athlete (died 1968)
• 29 August – Ernst Kreuder, German writer (died 1972)
• 3 August – Rudolf Wolters, German architect (died 1983)
• 11 September:
• Theodor W. Adorno, German philosopher (died 1969)
• Carl Joseph Leiprecht, German bishop of Roman-Catholic Church (died 1981)
• 11 October – Hans Söhnker, film actor (died 1981)
• 3 October – Werner Klingler, German film director and actor (died 1972)
• 5 December – Johannes Heesters, German actor (died 2011)
• 26 December – Herbert Albert, German conductor (died 1973)
• Date unknown – Ernst David Bergmann, German-born Israeli nuclear scientist and chemist (died 1975)

Deaths

• 13 April – Moritz Lazarus, German philosopher (born 1824)
• 14 June – Carl Gegenbaur, German anatomist (born 1826)
• 8 August – Adolf Schiel, German-born Boer army officer (born 1858)
• 4 September – Hermann Zumpe, German conductor (born 1850)
• 1 November – Theodor Mommsen, German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician, archaeologist (born 1817)

References