Adolf Wagner

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This article concerns the Nazi official Adolf Wagner; for the German economist, see Adolph Wagner.

Adolf Wagner (October 1, 1890 in Algringen, Lothringen - April 12, 1944 in Bad Reichenhall) was a German soldier and high-ranking Nazi Party official from Algringen, Alsace-Lorraine.

He served in World War I as an officer in the German Army. A member of the Nazi Party from its earliest days, he was appointed a Gauleiter for various districts in Germany, eventually becoming Gauleiter of München-Oberbayern. He served as the master of ceremonies for the annual commemorations of the Beer Hall Putsch every November 9 in Munich.

Wagner angered Adolf Hitler in 1941 when he insisted on removing crucifixes from Bavarian classrooms, which outraged the Roman Catholic Church and the general public. The opposition to this move was so strong Wagner was forced to rescind the order, one of the rare circumstances of successful public opposition in Nazi Germany.

Despite this faux pas, Hitler apparently remained on good terms with the thuggish Wagner. When Wagner died in April 1944, two years after suffering a stroke that had effectively incapacitated him, the increasingly reclusive Führer made a rare public appearance to attend his lavish funeral.