Ernst Krüger

Ernst Krüger (2 March 1843 - 4 April 1922) was a German Chancellor, politician and the son of Friedrich Krüger. Ernst was a member of the Nationalliberale Partei from 1870 to 1895. He was the longest serving German Reichskanzler, having served from 1882 to 1895.

Early life
Ernst Krüger was born on 2 March 1843, as the oldest of four children to Friedrich Krüger and Claire Barthold. The eldest son of the later Generalfeldmarschall and Reichskanzler, Ernst always spent his life in his father’s shadow, and never really had a strong relationship with his father, as Friedrich always had a focus on furthering his career rather than spending time with his family. This has greatly impacted Ernst, who mostly spent his early years in Essen while his father was deployed to different posts and while in Berlin during his four year term as Reichskanzler.

When Friedrich died in 1869, Ernst found that he had not inherited much from his father, as he had donated all of his possessions to the state, highlighting the rift between Friedrich and his family. Fortunately for Ernst, his mother came from a well-to-do family in western Germany, and Ernst soon found himself with the wealth he needed to make a difference in the world.

Professional life
Ernst joined the NLP in 1870, using the inheritance from his father, in combination with funding from his mother to campaign in his home district of Essen. He was easily elected and quickly became a prominent member within the party. In 1875, when Cristoph Hagelstein tried to overthrow Karl von Birnbaum as leader of the party, Ernst was one of the first to take Karl's side, becoming his protegé as a result. Now being groomed for future leadership by von Birnbaum, Krüger grew to become a formidable voice in the Reichstag.

In 1880, when Karl von Birnbaum retired as leader of the NLP, Ernst Krüger was easily elected as his successor. In 1882, he was among those who was invited by Chancellor Friederich von Coesfeld during the von Coesfeld Incident. Along with Karl von Birnbaum and Konstantin Brenner, he informed the Kaiser of von Coesfeld's treachury. As a result, Friederich von Coesfeld became an enemy of the state and fled to Switzerland. In the power vacuum left by von Coesfeld, Krüger was elected as the new Reichskanzler, a position he would keep for 13 years, being the longest serving Chancellor in 19th century Germany.

After the 1885 elections, Krüger entered the NLP into a coalition with the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands and the Freisinnige Vereinigung. This upset the Kaiser, as he had invited the leader of the Deutschkonservative Partei, Hans Friedrich von Röhm, along with Ernst Krüger himself to negotiate a coalition between the two. As a result, the Kaiser appointed a Cabinet solely consisting of DkP members. In the years that followed, Ernst would rarely call cabinet meetings. This angered some members of the NLP, such as Joseph von Klopp who subsequently left the party.

In 1890, Krüger did enter a coalition with the DkP, along with the Deutsche Zentrumpartei. However, the Kaiser still appointed a DkP-only Cabinet and cabinet meetings would remain a rare occurrance as a result. In 1895, Ernst announced his retirement as leader of the NLP and announced that he would not seek another term as Reichskanzler. Wilhelm Braun succeeded him as leader of the party and would become Chancellor after the 1895 elections.

Later life
After his retirement, Krüger rarely appeared in public. One of the last times he was seen on an official occassion was when his portrait was being unveiled in the Reichskanzlei in 1875. Ernst Krüger and his wife made a brief appearance at the official unveiling, and in a short statement wished Reichskanzler Braun the best of luck. Ernst spent the rest of his life in his estate on Sylt to live out the remainder of his life in peaceful retirement, occasionally hosting former Foreign Minister von Bismarck over for hunting and fishing trips. Ernst died in 1922 due to old age.