Wilhelm Pfannkuch

Influenced by the ideas of Ferdinand Lassalle, Wilhelm Pfannkuch participated in the German labor movement since the 1860s, when he joined the Association of German Workers (ADAV). In 1875, he became a member of the Socialist Workers' Party (SAP) and edited the social democratic Casseler Volksblatt newspaper in North Hesse. After many years of service, Pfannkuch was nominated secretary in the party's executive board in 1893. He was elected to the Berlin legislative assembly in 1900 and held a seat in this body until his death. Pfannkuch was also elected as deputy to the Reichstag (1884-1887, 1898-1907, 1912-1918). When the Verfassungsgebende Nationalversammlung (National Assembly) convened in Weimar on 6 Feb 1919, Pfannkuch as eldest deputy took the chair after the opening speech by Friedrich Ebert and served as "Alterspräsident" until the next meeting on 7 Feb 1919, when Eduard David was elected permanent president of the Assembly. In the last years of his life Pfannkuch worked on uniting two branches of German social democrats. This task was accomplished when SPD and USPD merged at the congress in Nuremberg in 1922. Biography source: [3]