Hans Luther

Hans Luther was born 10 March 1879. As Minister of Finance in 1923, he helped pull the Mark back from hyperinflation's edge — the kind of crisis where wheelbarrows of cash bought groceries. That work earned him a turn as Chancellor, a 482-day stint from 1925 to 1926 in Weimar's revolving door. He moved to the Reichsbank in 1930, holding its top post through 1933. Then came the pivot: from 1933 to 1937 he served as German Ambassador to the United States, representing the new government from a capital an ocean away. He died 11 May 1962.