Otto Braun

Otto Braun
Braun's official Landtag portrait, 1932
Minister President of Prussia
In office 6 April 1925 – 20 July 1932
Preceded by	Wilhelm Marx
Succeeded by	Franz von Papen
In office 5 November 1921 – 18 February 1925
Preceded by	Adam Stegerwald
Succeeded by	Wilhelm Marx
In office 27 March 1920 – 21 April 1921
Preceded by	Paul Hirsch
Succeeded by	Adam Stegerwald
Minister of Finance of the Free State of Prussia
In office 6 January 1925 – 18 February 1925
Preceded by	Paul von Eisenhart-Rothe
Succeeded by	Hermann Warmbold
Minister of Agriculture of the Free State of Prussia
In office 4 January 1919 – 21 April 1921
Preceded by	Ernst von Richter
Succeeded by	Hermann Höpker-Aschoff
Member of the Reichstag for East Prussia
In office 6 February 1919 – 4 March 1933
Preceded by	Multi-member constituency
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Member of the Landtag of Prussia for East Prussia
In office 18 May 1913 – 4 March 1933
Preceded by	Multi-member constituency
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	28 January 1872 (1872-01-28) Königsberg, Province of Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire (now Kaliningrad, Russia)
Died	15 December 1955(1955-12-15) (aged 83) Locarno, Switzerland
Political party	Social Democratic Party of Germany
Spouse	Emilie Podzius ​ (m. 1894)​
Children	Erich
Profession	Politician
Other offices held 1902: Member, Königsberg City Council

Otto Braun (28 January 1872 – 15 December 1955) was a politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) during the Weimar Republic. From 1920 to 1932, with only two brief interruptions, Braun was Minister President of the Free State of Prussia. The continuity of personnel in high office resulted in a largely stable government in Prussia, in contrast to the sometimes turbulent politics of the Reich. During his term of office, Prussia's public administration was reorganized along democratic lines. He replaced many monarchist officials with supporters of the Weimar Republic, strengthened and democratized the Prussian police, and made attempts to fight the rise of the Nazi Party.

On 20 July 1932, in the Prussian coup d'état (Preußenschlag), Reich Chancellor Franz von Papen ousted Braun's government from power following its loss of a parliamentary majority to the Nazis and the Communist Party of Germany. After Adolf Hitler seized power at the end of January 1933, Prussia lost its democratic constitution and Braun went into exile. After World War II, he had little or no political influence and was largely forgotten by the time he died in 1955.