18 Facts About Sepp Oerter

Sepp Oerter was a German politician and journalist.

Sepp Oerter later moved over to socialist groupings and parties, including the Social Democratic Party and, after the SPD split, the anti-war Independent Social Democratic Party.

Josef "Sepp" Oerter was born in Straubing, the small town at the heart of the fertile Gauboden region of Lower Bavaria, to the north-east of Munich.

Sepp Oerter joined the Social Democratic Party in 1887, but left it in 1890 after a radical youth group which he had supported was expelled from party.

Sepp Oerter Orter discovered in himself a talent for activism, turning out to have a flair for public speaking.

The authorities suspected that Sepp Oerter had somehow been involved in Alexander Berkman's attempt to assassinate a wealthy businessman called Henry Clay Frick.

Sepp Oerter was able to complete his mission with the help of his brother Fritz who had stayed behind when Sepp had escaped to America.

Sepp Oerter managed to escape, but he was not sufficiently familiar with the back streets of Duisburg to avoid detection, and he was arrested soon afterwards on one of the bridges over the Rhine.

Sepp Oerter was sentenced in a court at Mainz to a two-year prison term.

Sepp Oerter served his sentence in the prison at Munster.

Sepp Oerter was part of the editorial team working on the FAUD publication, "Der Freie Arbeiter".

Sepp Oerter continued to deliver political speeches, both in Germany and abroad.

In 1908 Sepp Oerter lost his various political after it "became known" that in the course of his work on "Der Freie Arbeiter" he had engaged in embezzlement.

Sepp Oerter was a leading figure among the many left-wing SPD members who in 1917 switched to the new Independent Social Democratic Party.

Thanks to his aggressive rhetoric and skills as a political tactician Sepp Oerter continued to be seen as one of the most important Braunschweig politicians at this time, although those same qualities ensured a steady stream of political attacks from all sides.

Sepp Oerter believed that the underlying principles of the USPD and of the Comintern were incompatible, and advocated closer cooperation with the SPD "Second International", for tactical reasons.

Between 1922 and 1924 Sepp Oerter continued to sit as a member of the Landtag, now without party affiliation.

Sepp Oerter's obituary, compiled by Erich Muhsam was published in the anarchist journal, Fanal.