Franz von Papen belonged to the Westphalian aristocracy and married Martha von Boch-Galhau in 1905. They had five children. During the First World War, he was a military diplomat in the USA and Mexico. After the war, he became politically active for the Westphalian Farmers‘ Party and the Catholic Centre Party. After becoming Chancellor, he left the Centre Party. Von Papen was Reich Chancellor for only six months in 1932 and was Adolf Hitler’s predecessor. Under Hitler, he was Vice-Chancellor until 1934. He weakened the Weimar Republic and democracy and supported the implementation of a dictatorship. After his removal from power, he became a diplomat in Turkey. In 1947, he was sentenced to eight years in a labour camp. His appeal was successful, he was released from prison in 1949 and received his assets back. He died of pneumonia in 1969.
