Jakob Sprenger

Jakob Sprenger (24 July 1884 – 7 May 1945) was a Nazi politician.

Sprenger was born in Oberhausen near Bad Bergzabern in the Palatinate. In 1922, the postal inspector Sprenger became a member of the Nazi Party. The militant anti-Semite rose quickly through the ranks, first to Gauleiter of Hesse-Nassau-South in 1927, and by September 1930 to member of the Reichstag.

On 5 May 1933 Sprenger was appointed Reichsstatthalter of Hesse and leader of the new Gau of Hesse-Nassau, which included Hesse-Darmstadt. In the process of the Gleichschaltung, in particular due to the 'Reichsstatthaltergesetz' of 30 January 1935, he was able to take over leadership of the provincial government from Philipp Wilhelm Jung. Besides Martin Mutschmann, he was the only governor charged with such a double function.

On 1 September 1939, SA-Obergruppenführer Sprenger became Reich Defence Commissar of Defence District XII, and as of 1 December 1943 also in the Gau of Hesse-Nassau. Later Sprenger was appointed High President of the new Prussian province of Nassau in 1944. He committed suicide in Kössen, Austria.