Albrecht Haushofer

Who was Albrecht Haushofer?

Albrecht Georg Haushofer was a German geographer, diplomat, author and opponent of Nazism.

Albrecht Haushofer's father was the retired General and geographer Karl Haushofer; his mother, Martha,. Albrecht had one brother, Heinz.

Albrecht studied geography and history at Munich University. He graduated in 1924 with his thesis "Paß- Staaten in den Alpen", Erich von Drygalski was his supervisor. Haushofer then worked as an assistant for Albrecht Penck.

A fellow student in geopolitics was Rudolf Hess, a very early follower of Adolf Hitler and later the Führer's deputy. Karl Haushofer was a frequent visitor to Landsberg Prison, where Hitler and Hess were jailed after the failed 1923 Beer Hall Putsch and Mein Kampf was written. Later, under the Nuremberg Laws, Haushofer was categorized as a mischling, however his close friend, Hess, succeeded in having him issued a German Blood Certificate.

Albrecht Haushofer was made secretary general of the Gesellschaft für Erdkunde, the geographical society and the editor of its periodical. He held this position from 1928 to 1938. Haushofer traveled the world in his official capacity, lecturing and gaining a wide experience of international affairs.