Petersen, Carl

(1868-1933)

   politician; chairman of the DDP. Born in Hamburg to a prominent and well-established family, he completed legal studies before practicing law privately. Long active in Hamburg's municipal adminis-tration, he entered the city's senate in September 1918. In January 1919 he was elected to the National Assembly*; election to the Reichstag* followed in 1920. Friedrich Naumann's* death in August 1919 prompted his election as DDP chairman.

   Initially determined to preserve Naumann's leftist tradition, Petersen moder-ated his views and became an early advocate of fusion with the DVP. But his 1921 campaign slogan, From Scheidemann* to Stresemann,*" was ineffective. Although he combined warmth with rhetorical skill, his politics remained fuzzy and his leadership lacked force. Having known Wilhelm Cuno* in Hamburg, he persuaded Friedrich Ebert* to appoint the shipping magnate Chancellor. In 1924 he resigned his offices to become Hamburg's Oberburgermeister; the move spared the DDP a bitter leadership fight. Continuing as DDP leader in Hamburg, he led the municipality during 1924-1928 and from 1932 to March 1933. In September 1932, as a final measure to prevent dissolution of the German State Party* (successor to the DDP), he agreed to join a three-man directorate with Hermann Dietrich* and Reinhold Maier.

   REFERENCES:Frye, Liberal Democrats; Larry Jones, German Liberalism; Taddey, Lex-ikon.