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Hugo VitroksBaltic businessman and politician. Lord Mayor of Riga (1941-1944).
Date of Birth: 19.07.1873
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- The Early Life and Career of Hugo Wittrock
- Business and Political Activities in Riga
- The German Occupation and World War II
- Return and Post-War Life
- Post-War Life and Death
The Early Life and Career of Hugo Wittrock
Hugo Wittrock was born on the island of Ösel (Saaremaa) in 1864 to Friedrich Wittrock, a German estate manager from Holstein, and Amalie Schamm, an Estonian. He attended the Arensburg Gymnasium and studied mechanical engineering at the Riga Polytechnic Institute from 1893 to 1897.
Wittrock interrupted his studies and began working as a controller for the Moscow Insurance Society of Commerce. He later became an inspector for the insurance company "Yakov" in Moscow (1899-1901) and a district inspector for the "Volga" insurance company in Riga (1901-1908).
Business and Political Activities in Riga
In 1908, Wittrock became a co-owner of the firm "Wittrock and Schleichert." He also served as general agent for the Russian Lloyd in the Ostsee provinces from 1909. Wittrock was elected as a deputy to the Riga Duma, where he held various leadership positions.
The German Occupation and World War II
Wittrock maintained his position in the German administration after the occupation of Riga in 1917, serving as a referent for the chief of staff of the city's military governor. After the end of World War I, he fled to Germany, but returned to Riga in 1925.
Return and Post-War Life
Wittrock resumed his business activities, becoming director of the "Riga Union" insurance company and the Commercial Bank. He retired in 1936 and lived in Königsberg. During the Nazi era, he returned to Riga as Ober-Bürgermeister (1941-1944), the only such official who was not a member of the NSDAP due to his lack of German citizenship.
Post-War Life and Death
After the war, Wittrock lived in West Germany. In 1950, he wrote a brief memoir that was published posthumously. He died in a car accident.
