KÖHLER, HEINRICH

(1878-1949)

politician; Finance Minister in Wil-helm Marx's* fourth cabinet. Born in Karlsruhe, he joined the civil service,* beginning work in 1897 in Baden's Finance Office. He was elected in 1911 to Karlsruhe's city assembly and entered the Landtag in 1913 as a Center Party* deputy. In 1915-1918 he was a tariff commissioner in occupied Belgium.

Close to Joseph Wirth* and a member of the Center's left wing until the mid-1920s, Köhler promoted alliance with Baden's provisional government during the November Revolution.* After appointment in January 1919 as the state's cabinet chief, he succeeded Wirth as Baden's Finance Minister in 1920, holding office until 1927 and serving also as Prime Minister in 1923-1924 and 1926-1927.

Although Kohler was reinstated as Prime Minister in November 1926, he went to Berlin* two months later to join Marx's government (he served through June 1928).During Germany's unstable prosperity he framed a solid financial policy; yet he repeatedly blamed reparations* for forcing him to drive the economy at the verge of deficit. While he insisted that Germany could ill afford salary increases or the eight-hour day, he endorsed a bill granting massive raises to civil servants. Supported by Marx, the bill was condemned by labor leader and Party colleague Adam Stegerwald.* Kohler defended it by arguing that the in-difference of bureaucrats in 1918 to the monarchy's collapse was owed to the blunder of a regime that had paid them so poorly; the Republic, he warned, ran the same risk. But the 1927 salary law alienated other elements of the popula-tion, especially the rural community. Three years later Heinrich Brüning,* faced with depression,* made the painful choice of reversing Kohler's pay raise.

During his time in the Reichstag* (May 1928 to July 1932), Kohler belonged to the chamber's budget committee. He thereafter reverted to private business and served as a financial advisor to the potash industry.