Gerhard von Kanitz


Gerhard Theodor Alexander Graf von Kanitz was a German politician of the German National People's Party and the German People's Party. He was a member of several Prussian and German Parliaments and served as Weimar Germany's Minister of Food and Agriculture from 1923 to 1926

Biography

Kanitz was born in Podangen, East Prussia, the son of the conservative politician Hans von Kanitz. He attended the Wilhelmgymnasium in Königsberg and served in the 3rd Cuirassiers "Count Wrangel". Kanitz took over his family estate at Podangen after his father's death in 1913
Following his service in World War I he became chairman of the agricultural association in the district of Preußisch Holland and member of the provisional German economic council. He joined the DNVP after the German Revolution of 1918–1919, but left the party in 1923, later on he joined the German People's Party.
From 1919 to 1921 Kanitz was a member of the Prussian Constitutional Assembly and member of the Weimar German Parliament from 7 March 1921 until May 1924 representing the constituency of East Prussia. From 1928 to 1932 he represented the DVP in the Prussian House of Representatives and from 1929 to 1933 he was a member of the East Prussian provincial parliament.
Kanitz served as Minister of Food and Agriculture from 6 October 1923 to 19 January 1926 in the Second Stresemann cabinet, the First and Second Marx cabinet and the First Luther cabinet.
Kanitz died in 1949 in Frankfurt-Sossenheim.

Family

Kanitz married Valeska Freiin von Tiele-Winckler in 1912.