Otto Lenz (6 July 1903,Wetzlar,Rhine Province – 2 May 1957,Naples) was a Germanpolitician (CDU), serving from 1951 to 1953 asHead of the Chancellery, and from 1953 until his death as a member of the GermanBundestag. He was also a signatory of thefounding declaration of the CDU.

After completing hisAbitur, Lenz began studyinglaw at theUniversity of Freiburg. He completed his studies at theUniversity of Marburg in 1924, receiving hisdoctorate in 1925 with a dissertation entitledDie Haftung bei Gattungsschulden in § 279 BGB (The Liability of Generic Debt in § 279 BGB). After passing theStaatsexamen, Lenz joined the Administration of Justice and quickly began working in Germany'sFederal Ministry of Justice. He became director of the Ministry's press office in 1929 and served in this office for four years, during which he experienced considerable success in developing a strong relationship with the German press. In 1932 he began working as the personal advisor of state secretary Heinrich Hölscher.^[1]

After theMachtergreifung in January 1933, Lenz's title was changed to Advisor of Commercial Law in theReichsjustizamt. One year later, in April 1934, he was promoted to the position ofLandgerichtsdirektor despite the protest of theNational Socialist lawyer's association.^[2] His first act of defiance to the Nazi-Regime occurred in 1938, when he refused a job transfer due to his unwillingness to work as a judge in the Nazi legal system. He worked instead as a lawyer during this time, being admitted only with serious difficulty to theKammergericht.

As an opponent of the Nazis, Lenz belonged to theDonnerstagsgesellschaft (Thursday Association), a circle of formerCentre Party members, officials, and journalists. He participated in the opposition by at one point hiding resistance fighterErnst von Harnack in his apartment, as well as maintaining contact with20 July plot-conspiratorsJosef Wirmer andCarl Goerdeler.^[3] As a result of these relationships Lenz was arrested after the failed assassination plot and brought to court in January 1945 for his participation in the conspiracy as well as the suspicious nature of his work as a lawyer throughout the early 1940s, during which time he was seen by theGestapo as a defender of Jews. His role as the defendant of the pardoned opposition leaderJosef Müller in 1944 was a further source of irritation to the Nazis. Due to his success as his own defence lawyer, Lenz was able to avoid execution and was sentenced instead to four years penitentiary with eight years without civil rights. He was freed bySoviet forces on 28 April 1945.^[4]

Immediately after his release from prison Lenz took part in the establishment of theCDU inBerlin. His desire for an interdenominational political party held together by common Christian beliefs preceded the conclusion of the war and is present in journal entries from his time in prison.^[5]

Lenz's longing to become a lawyer inMunich caused him to hesitate in acceptingKonrad Adenauer's 1946 offer to becomeSecretary of State, which he ultimately accepted and began serving as on 15 January 1951.^[6] During this time Lenz remained extremely busy meeting with politicians, diplomats, church representatives, businessmen, lobbyists, and journalists as well as helping establish the direction in which the youngFederal Republic of Germany would take itself.

His desire to create a "Ministry of Information" after the 1953 elections (in which he was elected to theBundestag) ultimately failed due to the strong legacy of thePropagandaministerium of the Nazi-Era.^[7] His desire to be voice in the public sphere led to the establishment ofDie Politische Meinung, a monthly publication which continues to be distributed by theKonrad-Adenauer-Stiftung today.

On 2 May 1957, while still a member of the Bundestag, Lenz died unexpectedly inNaples after developing a fever on a return trip fromAfrica.

• Buchstab, Günter (2004). "Otto Lenz."Christliche Demokraten gegen Hitler: Aus Verfolgung und Widerstand zur Union. Ed. Buchstab, Günter; Kaff, Brigitte; Kleinmann, Hans-Otto. Freiburg, Germany: Herder, 2004. p. 344–352. Print.ISBN 978-3-451-20805-8

• 1903 births
• 1957 deaths
• People from Wetzlar
• Politicians from the Rhine Province
• German Roman Catholics
• Members of the Bundestag for Rhineland-Palatinate
• Members of the Bundestag 1983–1987
• Members of the Bundestag 1980–1983
• Members of the Bundestag 1976–1980
• Members of the Bundestag 1972–1976
• Members of the Bundestag 1969–1972
• Members of the Bundestag 1965–1969
• Jurists from Hesse
• Cartellverband members
• University of Freiburg alumni
• University of Marburg alumni
• Heads of the German Chancellery
• Members of the Bundestag for the Christian Democratic Union of Germany
• Deaths from malaria

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