Rudolf Havenstein

Who was Rudolf Havenstein?

Rudolf E. A. Havenstein was a German lawyer and president of the Reichsbank during the hyperinflation of 1921-1923.

Havenstein was born in Meseritz, Province of Posen. He came from a family of government officials and studied law in Heidelberg and Berlin. After graduation in 1876, Havenstein worked in the Prussian Justice service until 1887 when he began his career as a judge. In 1890 he moved to the Prussian Ministry of Finance. From 1900 to 1908, Havenstein was President of the Prussian State Bank. From 1908 to 1923, he was president of the Reichsbank and his signature appears on German Reichsbank notes from 1908 to 1923.

Havenstein was involved in the introduction of war bonds at the beginning of the First World War.

He died in Berlin and is buried in St. Anne's Cemetery in Berlin-Dahlem.