Carl von Schirach

Carl Baily Norris von Schirach (10 November 1873 in Wiesbaden – 11 July 1949) was a German-American theatre director and Nazi. A member of the Schirach family, Schirach was born in Wiesbaden to American parents, one of German descent. His mother died soon afterwards. He gave up his US citizenship to join the First Baden Light Dragoon Regiment in Karlsruhe, and later the Guards Cuirassiers Regiment at Tempelhofer Feld in Berlin, retiring as cavalry captain (Rittmeister). His wife Emma enjoyed Berlin, talking to Kaiser Wilhelm II in English at receptions. He worked as assistant director to Max Martersteig at the Cologne Stadttheater on Glockengasse. He was head of the Weimar Court Theatre from 1909 to 1919. He was also a chamberlain at the grand ducal court in the Grand Duchy of Saxony, until the abdication of Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst in the revolution of 1918. As theatre director, Carl selected a conservative repertoire, continuing Weimar's anti-Modernist cultural policy. After he was dismissed in 1919, he won a legal battle with the state of Thuringia to secure his pension. He continued to employ servants and retained a box at the theatre.