Sahm, Heinrich

(1877-1939)

   city administrator; Danzig's* mayor throughout most of the Weimar era. Born to a family of artisans in the Pom-eranian town of Anklam, he studied law before entering municipal politics. He joined Magdeburg's city council in 1906 and was elected Burgermeister of Bo-chum in 1912. During World War I he was a municipal official with the German authorities in Warsaw. In July 1918 he succeeded Hans Luther* as chairman of the Städtetag.

   Sahm became Oberburgermeister of Danzig in February 1919. When the League of Nations reorganized the city in November 1920, his title changed to Senate President. Preserving Danzig's independence from Poland* required fi-nesse and tenacity. While Sahm proclaimed "hands off Danzig" to the Poles, he rigorously ensured Poland's free access to the Baltic. The political and eco-nomic complexities generated by his position earned him international respect. Without party affiliation, he retained office for ten years through numerous co-alition changes. In December 1930, after the NSDAP's momentous electoral success, he resigned. The next April he succeeded Gustav Boss* as Oberbur-germeister of Berlin.* Due largely to his efforts at generating nonpartisan sup-port for President Hindenburg,* the old Feldmarschall chose to seek a second term in 1932. Sahm employed for Hindenburg the words once applied to George Washington: "First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen." Increasingly curbed after 1933 by Nazi Commissioner Julius Lippert, Sahm finally resigned his post in 1935 (Lippert succeeded him). Named German Am-bassador to Oslo, he was about to be recalled when he died.

   REFERENCES:Bosl, Franz, and Hofmann, Biographisches Worterbuch; Kimmich, Free City; Von Riekhoff, German-Polish Relations.